Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Taichung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taichung: $1,112 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Taichung

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,112 in Taichung, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Taichung $1,112

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,856 in Taichung, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Taichung $1,856

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,601 in Taichung, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Taichung $2,601

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.69 NT$152

72.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$31.30 NT$1,014

50.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.64 NT$150

104.74%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.89 NT$93.8

4.15%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.03 NT$33.31

74.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.76 NT$24.47

85.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.50 NT$48.52

112.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.66 NT$86.3

116.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$3.08 NT$99.9

-50.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.65 NT$53.4

44.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.59 NT$83.8

-31.66%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.54 NT$82.4

13.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$28.53 NT$924

-64.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.76 NT$251

27.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$16.59 NT$537

-15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$4.21 NT$137

-5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.94 NT$62.8

-20.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.01 NT$97.6

-27.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.13 NT$69.1

2.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.21 NT$39.28

61.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.93 NT$62.6

-17.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.25 NT$73.1

-48.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.89 NT$28.87

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.79 NT$123

4.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.10 NT$489

-9.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.60 NT$51.7

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.43 NT$78.6

-7.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.63 NT$20.46

85.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$18.67 NT$605

314.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.58 NT$83.5

-50.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.90 NT$29.11

127.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$9.19 NT$298

-6.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.04 NT$33.71

29.81%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$35.3K NT$1.1M

-3.44%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$22.2K NT$720.4K

55.93%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$122 NT$3,956

38.93%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$14.52 NT$470

-6.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.46 NT$663

37.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.28 NT$1,013

39.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$11.39 NT$369

50.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.22 NT$331

-32.39%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$326 NT$10.6K

144.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$16.5K NT$533.0K

-44.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$71.8 NT$2,325

18.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$35.78 NT$1,159

61.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$81.7 NT$2,645

65.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$111 NT$3,587

-11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$382 NT$12.4K

215.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$266 NT$8,612

141.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,188 NT$38.5K

70.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$739 NT$23.9K

36.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$5,811 NT$188.3K

-28.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$4,266 NT$138.2K

-55.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,400 NT$45.3K

-53.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.27

381.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taichung: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Taichung

$266 23.9% 58.6% $376

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Taichung

$368 33.1% 23.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Taichung

$157 14.1% 25.6% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Taichung

$106 9.6% 37.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Taichung

$135 12.1% 20.1% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Taichung

$28 2.5% 69.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Taichung

$52 4.7% 10.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $382 in Taichung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Taichung are about 2.1 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 $31 in Taichung. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $368 in Taichung – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

17:16 5:16 PM

06:16 6:16 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,767,239

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 TWD = 3.09 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.4 TWD (100 TWD = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 36.07 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Taichung 16,200 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Taichung

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 Taichung: 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 $1,667 in Taichung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taichung, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $31 in Taichung. 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 $1,112 in Taichung. That makes Taichung about 32% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,112 in Taichung. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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