Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Taitung: $1,035 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Taitung
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,035
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Taitung

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,035 in Taitung, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Taitung $1,035

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,802 in Taitung, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Taitung $1,802

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,569 in Taitung, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Taitung $2,569

Medellin costs about 56% more than Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Taitung is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$3.82 NT$124
107.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.3K
$48.18 NT$1,562
-4.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$5.56 NT$180
70.86%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,866
$3.45 NT$112
-9.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,800
$0.95 NT$30.66
92.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,360
$0.68 NT$22.00
102.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,672
$2.88 NT$93.3
5.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.4K
$3.76 NT$122
46.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,600
$3.09 NT$100
-53.07%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,496
$1.87 NT$60.7
26.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,328
$3.12 NT$101
-46.15%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,077
$2.33 NT$75.4
22.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$19.49 NT$632
-47.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.2K
$3.89 NT$126
144.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.5K
$21.88 NT$709
-35.83%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$1.92 NT$62.1
111.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,742
$2.92 NT$94.6
-48.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,891
$1.93 NT$62.5
12.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,310
$4.50 NT$146
-48.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,113
$2.73 NT$88.4
-29.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,196
$2.36 NT$76.5
-30.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,571
$1.78 NT$57.7
-36.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,954
$1.11 NT$35.94
12.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.6K
$4.00 NT$130
-0.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.3K
$14.07 NT$456
-5.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,384
$1.64 NT$53.3
3.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,525
$2.28 NT$73.8
3.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,827
$0.65 NT$20.95
86.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 242.5K
$36.43 NT$1,181
109.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,179
$2.72 NT$88.3
-51.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,774
$0.78 NT$25.14
174.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.8K
$9.18 NT$298
-7.73%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,114
$0.90 NT$29.33
44.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 88.7M
$33.2K NT$1.1M
-15.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.3M
$24.1K NT$781.5K
46.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 545.6K
$85.6 NT$2,777
100.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.4K
$17.66 NT$573
-24.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.1K
$27.09 NT$878
6.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.5K
$36.70 NT$1,190
23.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 19.9K
$9.25 NT$300
-32.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
$677 NT$21.9K
13.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.6M
$17.0K NT$550.6K
-46.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.0K
$28.52 NT$925
202.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.1K
$15.68 NT$508
264.35%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 432.9K
$49.43 NT$1,603
176.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.4K
$105 NT$3,410
-6.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.3M
$412 NT$13.4K
156.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$251 NT$8,133
145.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$983 NT$31.9K
92.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.2M
$747 NT$24.2K
36.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
$7,734 NT$250.8K
-47.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
$5,021 NT$162.8K
-66.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Taitung
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$637 NT$20.7K
2.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.4
355.83%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taitung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Taitung
$251 59.3% $365
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Taitung
$346 17.6% $52
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Taitung
$130 39.1% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Taitung
$89 47.4% $81
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Taitung
$117 30.5% $51
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Taitung
$46 51.1% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Taitung
$55 4.5% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $412 in Taitung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $48.00 in Taitung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $346 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇼 Taitung
🕒 Local time
12:12 12:12 PM
01:12 1:12 AM
13 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
106,368
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Taitung 16,310 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Taitung

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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Taitung cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,552 in Taitung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Taitung, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Taitung?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $48.00 in Taitung. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Taitung?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,035 in Taitung. That's a gap of about 56%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Taitung?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Taitung, where all-in costs run around $1,035, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Taitung it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Taitung more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Taitung – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Taitung?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Taitung. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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