Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shenzhen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenzhen: $1,117 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,117 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Shenzhen $1,117

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,714 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Shenzhen $1,714

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,310 in Shenzhen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Shenzhen $2,310

Medellin costs about 47% more than Shenzhen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shenzhen is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.66 ¥24.35

121.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$29.39 ¥196

60.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.28 ¥35.16

79.92%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$3.36 ¥22.34

-10.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.58 ¥3.84

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.36 ¥2.37

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.48 ¥9.82

114.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.14 ¥14.26

168.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.54 ¥10.22

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.63 ¥10.84

46.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.14 ¥7.60

55.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.75 ¥11.63

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$20.74 ¥138

-50.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.41 ¥22.71

189.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.42 ¥96.0

-2.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.25 ¥14.96

76.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.62 ¥10.79

-4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.94 ¥12.88

12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.42 ¥9.47

53.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.08 ¥7.20

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.28 ¥8.52

24.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.60 ¥3.97

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.56 ¥3.75

121.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.43 ¥29.50

-10.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$12.08 ¥80.4

13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.92 ¥6.15

80.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.83 ¥12.15

23.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.44 ¥2.90

165.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$18.05 ¥120

328.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.53 ¥10.15

-16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.41 ¥2.75

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.36 ¥48.97

16.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.32 ¥8.77

2.27%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.2K ¥127.9K

77.18%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$18.0K ¥120.1K

92.12%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$64.8 ¥431

161.93%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.90 ¥65.9

36.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$16.40 ¥109

71.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$48.95 ¥326

-10.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$16.95 ¥113

1.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.28 ¥48.44

-5.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$537 ¥3,572

48.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$24.4K ¥162.4K

-62.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$55.7 ¥371

51.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$40.56 ¥270

42.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$73.1 ¥486

84.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$93.9 ¥625

4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$753 ¥5,009

60.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$471 ¥3,132

36.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,847 ¥12.3K

9.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$830 ¥5,524

21.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$13.2K ¥87.7K

-68.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$6,479 ¥43.1K

-70.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,763 ¥11.7K

-62.72%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Shenzhen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Shenzhen

$471 42.1% 26.6% $171

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Shenzhen

$249 22.3% 16.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Shenzhen

$91 8.2% 56.9% $120

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Shenzhen

$101 9% 40.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Shenzhen

$118 10.6% 29.9% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Shenzhen

$23 2.1% 75% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Shenzhen

$64 5.7% 10.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $753 in Shenzhen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shenzhen are about 2.7 times higher, 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 $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Shenzhen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $249 – making Shenzhen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

01:27 1:27 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,528,300

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Shenzhen 16,640 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shenzhen

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 Shenzhen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,675 in Shenzhen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shenzhen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $753 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Shenzhen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,117 in Shenzhen. That makes Shenzhen about 32% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,117 in Shenzhen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Shenzhen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.