Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shantou

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shantou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Shantou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $692 in Shantou, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Shantou $692

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,104 in Shantou, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Shantou $1,104

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,516 in Shantou, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Shantou $1,516

Medellin costs about 133% more than Shantou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shantou is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.29 ¥15.35

246.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$23.70 ¥158

94.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$5.17 ¥34.59

83.75%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$3.38 ¥22.63

-7.99%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 COP 5,818

$0.47 ¥3.12

289.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,373

$0.31 ¥2.05

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$0.88 ¥5.92

246.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$2.13 ¥14.28

158.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.60 ¥10.71

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$1.45 ¥9.73

62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$0.77 ¥5.18

118.18%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$1.69 ¥11.33

69.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$13.63 ¥91.1

-25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$3.43 ¥22.91

177.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$13.16 ¥88.0

6.69%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.95 ¥13.03

108.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.50 ¥10.05

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$1.81 ¥12.14

19.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$1.30 ¥8.70

77.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$0.82 ¥5.49

135.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$1.06 ¥7.11

54.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$0.59 ¥3.96

91.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$0.43 ¥2.88

190.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$3.69 ¥24.71

8.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$12.00 ¥80.2

11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$0.83 ¥5.57

104.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,548

$1.79 ¥11.98

32.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$0.36 ¥2.41

236.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

$24.27 ¥162

215.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,192

$1.53 ¥10.24

-13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$0.38 ¥2.56

463.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$7.31 ¥48.86

15.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.23 ¥8.25

5.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$19.8K ¥132.4K

41.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$18.0K ¥120.5K

96.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$172 COP 547.3K

$56.7 ¥379

203.72%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$8.89 ¥59.5

50.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$13.86 ¥92.7

107.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$7.54 ¥50.5

-16.71%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$770 COP 2.4M

$540 ¥3,614

42.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$24.2K ¥162.1K

-62.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$55.6 ¥372

55.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$39.70 ¥265

43.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$73.1 ¥489

86.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$91.4 ¥611

7.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$298 ¥1,991

254.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$151 ¥1,011

307.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$602 ¥4,027

214.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$294 ¥1,969

247.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,278 ¥15.2K

78.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$4,469 ¥29.9K

-62.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,062 ¥7,099

-38.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.35

226.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Shantou

$151 21.8% 75.4% $465

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Shantou

$214 31% 27.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Shantou

$79 11.5% 62.9% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Shantou

$117 16.9% 31.3% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Shantou

$86 12.5% 48.8% $82

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Shantou

$29 4.2% 68.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Shantou

$15 * 2.2% 73.9% $43

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $298 in Shantou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 63% higher in Shantou, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $24.00 in Shantou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $214 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Shantou

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,389,328

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Shantou 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shantou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Shantou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,038 in Shantou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $24.00 in Shantou. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $692 in Shantou. That's a gap of about 133%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shantou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Shantou. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.