Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tangshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Tangshan: $709 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Tangshan
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Tangshan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Tangshan

🇨🇳 China

$709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tangshan

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $709 in Tangshan, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Tangshan $709

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,135 in Tangshan, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Tangshan $1,135

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $1,561 in Tangshan, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Tangshan $1,561

Medellin costs about 124% more than Tangshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Tangshan is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$2.72 ¥18.20

194.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.4K

$21.61 ¥144

115.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$4.85 ¥32.41

94.43%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,280

$2.97 ¥19.87

-2.02%

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

$1.75 COP 5,586

$0.44 ¥2.91

297.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,220

$0.27 ¥1.80

388.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,972

$0.87 ¥5.82

259.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$2.15 ¥14.38

158.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,496

$1.87 ¥12.47

-24.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,779

$1.62 ¥10.80

50.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,192

$0.88 ¥5.91

85.23%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,993

$1.54 ¥10.28

83.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$12.70 ¥84.9

-23.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$3.15 ¥21.04

195.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$10.37 ¥69.3

29.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.79 ¥11.95

123.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,720

$1.25 ¥8.37

18.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,770

$1.49 ¥9.92

42.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,180

$1.09 ¥7.28

106.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,093

$0.74 ¥4.97

158.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,162

$0.95 ¥6.38

70.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,659

$0.60 ¥4.04

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,022

$0.54 ¥3.62

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$3.12 ¥20.84

22.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$10.42 ¥69.6

25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,084

$0.75 ¥4.98

113.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,190

$1.64 ¥10.94

37.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,732

$0.27 ¥1.80

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.1K

$17.00 ¥114

341.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,057

$1.38 ¥9.21

-7.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,533

$0.36 ¥2.38

469.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$6.51 ¥43.54

25.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,047

$1.18 ¥7.90

7.63%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$19.3K ¥128.8K

38.94%

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

$34.4K COP 109.7M

$17.1K ¥114.2K

101.40%

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

$162 COP 517.0K

$44.36 ¥296

265.67%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$9.52 ¥63.6

37.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$11.68 ¥78.0

140.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.3K

$41.40 ¥277

7.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.1K

$13.72 ¥91.7

19.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$6.02 ¥40.24

1.16%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$338 ¥2,261

125.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$16.5K ¥110.2K

-46.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$43.27 ¥289

96.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$29.88 ¥200

92.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 420.0K

$72.0 ¥481

83.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.2K

$71.7 ¥479

33.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$280 ¥1,868

267.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$191 ¥1,277

216.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$583 ¥3,894

209.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$358 ¥2,390

177.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,988 ¥20.0K

31.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$2,008 ¥13.4K

-18.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.89

181.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Tangshan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Tangshan

$191 26.9% 68.4% $413

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Tangshan

$198 27.9% 31.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Tangshan

$66 9.2% 67.8% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Tangshan

$98 13.7% 41.4% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Tangshan

$84 11.8% 49.8% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Tangshan

$21 3% 76.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Tangshan

$53 7.5% 5.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $280 in Tangshan. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $22.00 in Tangshan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $198 – making Tangshan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Tangshan

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,717,983

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,572 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Tangshan 14,720 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Tangshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,063 in Tangshan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tangshan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $22.00 in Tangshan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $709 in Tangshan. That's a gap of about 124%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tangshan, where all-in costs run around $709, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Tangshan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Tangshan. 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.