Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Suwon

For one person, living is cheaper in Suwon: $1,372 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Suwon
Learn more

Suwon Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Suwon

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Suwon

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,372 in Suwon, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Suwon $1,372

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,163 in Suwon, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Suwon $2,163

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,954 in Suwon, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Suwon $2,954

Medellin costs about 20% more than Suwon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$6.06 ₩8,102

33.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.7K

$29.93 ₩40.0K

57.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.0K

$7.65 ₩10.2K

24.18%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,532

$3.41 ₩4,563

-11.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,688

$1.57 ₩2,096

14.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,465

$0.59 ₩789

138.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.83 ₩5,126

-16.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.77 ₩6,377

20.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,774

$2.60 ₩3,485

-41.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,517

$2.60 ₩3,475

-8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

$3.36 ₩4,501

-47.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,138

$3.17 ₩4,241

-8.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$11.15 ₩14.9K

-8.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$11.64 ₩15.6K

-15.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.2K

$11.39 ₩15.2K

22.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$6.22 ₩8,322

-36.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

$2.93 ₩3,917

-47.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

$5.30 ₩7,087

-58.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,904

$4.40 ₩5,893

-50.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

$3.47 ₩4,637

-43.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,025

$2.74 ₩3,662

-41.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,622

$4.94 ₩6,606

-76.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

$1.36 ₩1,818

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.73 ₩4,990

6.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$13.45 ₩18.0K

1.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

$2.53 ₩3,387

-34.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,139

$3.86 ₩5,159

-41.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,692

$1.24 ₩1,655

-5.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

$48.67 ₩65.1K

58.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

$2.88 ₩3,854

-55.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,474

$0.63 ₩840

225.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.0K

$8.98 ₩12.0K

-4.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

$1.32 ₩1,767

2.27%

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

$34.1K COP 107.7M

$28.7K ₩38.4M

18.67%

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

$34.7K COP 109.6M

$25.2K ₩33.7M

37.47%

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

$170 COP 536.4K

$186 ₩248.4K

-8.64%

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

$13.55 COP 42.8K

$18.20 ₩24.4K

-25.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.7K

$17.99 ₩24.1K

56.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.2K

$43.73 ₩58.5K

-0.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

$11.82 ₩15.8K

45.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$11.19 ₩15.0K

-38.25%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$691 ₩924.8K

15.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$18.3K ₩24.4M

-50.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

$37.03 ₩49.5K

128.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

$109 ₩146.2K

-46.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

$76.5 ₩102.3K

76.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

$60.0 ₩80.3K

63.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$438 ₩586.2K

175.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$352 ₩470.9K

82.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,185 ₩1.6M

71.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$819 ₩1.1M

23.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$12.6K ₩16.8M

-66.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$7,074 ₩9.5M

-73.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,638 ₩3.5M

-75.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.5

68.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Suwon: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Suwon

$352 25.7% 45.1% $290

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Suwon

$395 28.8% 33% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Suwon

$222 16.2% 5% $11

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Suwon

$150 10.9% 11.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Suwon

$127 9.3% 24.7% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Suwon

$60 4.4% 36.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Suwon

$66 4.8% 14.9% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $438 in Suwon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Suwon are about 4 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 $30 in Suwon. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $395 in Suwon – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇷 Suwon

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

14 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,203,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.48 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.7 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,338 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.48 USD). 1 EUR = 1,493 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Suwon 14,630 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Suwon

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 Suwon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,057 in Suwon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Suwon, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Suwon. 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 $1,372 in Suwon. That makes Suwon about 16% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,372 in Suwon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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