Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tainan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tainan: $1,148 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tainan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,148 in Tainan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tainan $1,148

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,985 in Tainan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tainan $1,985

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,822 in Tainan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tainan $2,822

Medellin costs about 43% more than Tainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tainan is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.63 NT$118

122.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$25.03 NT$811

87.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.72 NT$153

101.27%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.09 NT$100.0

-2.59%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.35 NT$43.73

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.82 NT$26.52

71.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.06 NT$99.0

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.33 NT$108

72.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$3.00 NT$97.1

-49.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.75 NT$56.7

36.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.97 NT$129

-55.42%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.90 NT$93.9

-0.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$21.70 NT$703

-53.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$12.55 NT$406

-21.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$20.38 NT$660

-31.35%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.30 NT$172

-25.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.71 NT$87.8

-42.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.94 NT$160

-55.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$7.03 NT$228

-68.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$4.50 NT$146

-56.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$4.48 NT$145

-64.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.91 NT$94.1

-60.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.43 NT$46.36

-13.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.93 NT$127

0.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$18.61 NT$603

-26.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.96 NT$63.5

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.26 NT$73.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.54 NT$17.45

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$19.90 NT$645

288.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.58 NT$83.6

-50.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.93 NT$30.25

120.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.67 NT$184

50.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.01 NT$32.71

33.66%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$35.9K NT$1.2M

-5.21%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$23.0K NT$744.0K

50.98%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$85.9 NT$2,782

97.57%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.17 NT$556

-21.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.75 NT$672

35.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$44.23 NT$1,433

-1.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$9.31 NT$302

-25.78%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$430 NT$13.9K

85.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,382 NT$174.4K

69.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$90.7 NT$2,939

-6.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$44.43 NT$1,440

30.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$116 NT$3,749

16.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$121 NT$3,917

-19.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$324 NT$10.5K

272.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$190 NT$6,144

238.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$826 NT$26.8K

145.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$707 NT$22.9K

43.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,122 NT$101.2K

33.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,148 NT$69.6K

-11.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,350 NT$43.7K

-51.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.5

337.60%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tainan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tainan

$190 16.5% 70.4% $452

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tainan

$464 40.5% 56.4% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tainan

$124 10.8% 41.4% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tainan

$111 9.7% 34.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tainan

$167 14.6% 1% $1.7

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tainan

$29 2.6% 68.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tainan

$63 5.5% 9.3% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $324 in Tainan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tainan 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 $25 in Tainan. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $464 in Tainan – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇹🇼 Tainan

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

06:55 6:55 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,886,033

💱 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 Tainan 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tainan

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 Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 43%, 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 $1,722 in Tainan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tainan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $324 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $25 in Tainan. 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 $1,148 in Tainan. That makes Tainan about 30% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,148 in Tainan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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