Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Songdo-dong

For one person, living is cheaper in Songdo-dong: $1,415 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Songdo-dong
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Songdo-dong Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Songdo-dong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,415 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Songdo-dong $1,415

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,248 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Songdo-dong $2,248

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $3,080 in Songdo-dong, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Songdo-dong $3,080

Medellin costs about 20% more than Songdo-dong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Songdo-dong sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, Songdo-dong by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.86 ₩7,858

42.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$35.02 ₩46.9K

32.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.60 ₩8,850

43.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.71 ₩4,980

-15.63%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.58 ₩2,112

12.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.62 ₩831

129.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.04 ₩4,079

3.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.56 ₩6,117

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.28 ₩3,058

-32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.07 ₩4,109

-25.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.62 ₩3,515

-25.95%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$3.29 ₩4,415

-6.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.41 ₩20.7K

-35.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$10.39 ₩13.9K

0.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$11.08 ₩14.8K

25.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.99 ₩9,367

-42.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$2.45 ₩3,287

-37.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.47 ₩5,998

-53.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$6.96 ₩9,331

-67.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$3.25 ₩4,362

-35.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$2.55 ₩3,421

-32.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$2.03 ₩2,720

-42.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.47 ₩1,972

7.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$3.43 ₩4,603

13.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.63 ₩18.3K

3.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$3.54 ₩4,751

-48.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.66 ₩883

222.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.41 ₩1,884

-9.22%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$28.8K ₩38.6M

19.55%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$35.8K ₩47.9M

-4.52%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$214 ₩286.7K

-16.90%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$42.76 ₩57.3K

-67.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$21.06 ₩28.2K

45.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$11.11 ₩14.9K

-32.76%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$367 ₩491.9K

115.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.6K ₩23.6M

-30.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$66.3 ₩88.8K

30.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$63.7 ₩85.4K

-7.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$75.3 ₩100.9K

83.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$100.0 ₩134.0K

-1.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$448 ₩600.6K

48.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,934 ₩2.6M

2.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,048 ₩1.4M

-1.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$3,341 ₩4.5M

-80.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.1

166.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Songdo-dong: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Songdo-dong

$448 31.7% 32.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Songdo-dong

$379 * 26.8% 23.2% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Songdo-dong

$278 19.6% 24.9% $55

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Songdo-dong

$144 10.2% 16.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Songdo-dong

$137 9.7% 20.2% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Songdo-dong

$6.8 * 0.5% 92.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Songdo-dong

$22 * 1.6% 61% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Songdo-dong are about 5.2 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 $35 in Songdo-dong. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $379 in Songdo-dong – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Songdo-dong

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

16:13 4:13 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1,341 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,509 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Songdo-dong 14,640 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Songdo-dong

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 Songdo-dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $2,123 in Songdo-dong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Songdo-dong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,415 in Songdo-dong to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.