Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Taizhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Taizhou: $774 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Taizhou
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Taizhou Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Taizhou

🇨🇳 China

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Taizhou

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $774 in Taizhou, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Taizhou $774

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,255 in Taizhou, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Taizhou $1,255

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,735 in Taizhou, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Taizhou $1,735

Medellin costs about 110% more than Taizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Taizhou is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$3.76 ¥25.05

120.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$25.85 ¥172

81.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$4.54 ¥30.25

103.52%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,597

$3.43 ¥22.87

-11.08%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.53 ¥3.56

239.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,346

$0.29 ¥1.91

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.17 ¥7.82

176.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.27 ¥15.15

144.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,721

$1.87 ¥12.44

-19.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,446

$1.65 ¥11.00

43.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,333

$0.54 ¥3.59

214.81%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,302

$1.18 ¥7.87

150.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$19.42 ¥130

-47.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$3.66 ¥24.44

166.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$10.17 ¥67.9

36.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.19 ¥7.95

247.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$1.33 ¥8.87

15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,994

$1.52 ¥10.15

46.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$1.61 ¥10.75

40.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,259

$0.74 ¥4.95

168.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,242

$0.93 ¥6.22

79.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.68 ¥4.53

73.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,887

$0.58 ¥3.87

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$4.22 ¥28.12

-8.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$13.50 ¥90.0

2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,213

$0.43 ¥2.89

286.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,553

$1.64 ¥10.95

46.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.29 ¥1.93

327.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

$18.07 ¥121

332.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$1.22 ¥8.10

4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.39 ¥2.58

451.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$7.02 ¥46.81

19.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$1.28 ¥8.55

5.47%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

78.88%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$16.3K ¥108.8K

112.68%

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

$167 COP 524.1K

$48.64 ¥324

242.62%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$8.88 ¥59.2

53.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$11.43 ¥76.2

154.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$41.01 ¥274

9.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$15.17 ¥101

13.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$7.43 ¥49.56

-6.19%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$564 ¥3,761

40.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$35.6K ¥237.4K

-74.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$33.06 ¥220

165.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.9K

$42.37 ¥283

37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.1K

$83.2 ¥555

67.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$108 ¥722

-8.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$299 ¥1,994

243.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$185 ¥1,236

234.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$640 ¥4,267

194.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$380 ¥2,537

164.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$3,418 ¥22.8K

16.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,980 ¥13.2K

-14.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.5

212.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Taizhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Taizhou

$185 23.9% 70.1% $434

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Taizhou

$223 28.9% 25% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Taizhou

$69 8.9% 67.1% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Taizhou

$120 15.5% 30.5% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Taizhou

$98 12.7% 42.3% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Taizhou

$22 2.9% 76.5% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Taizhou

$56 7.2% 5.4% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $299 in Taizhou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $26 in Taizhou. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $223 – making Taizhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Taizhou

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

01:17 1:17 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

615,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,145 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Taizhou 15,720 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Taizhou

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 Taizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 110%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,162 in Taizhou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taizhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $299 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $26 in Taizhou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $774 in Taizhou. That’s a gap of about 110%.

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

For expats, Taizhou is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 110% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.