Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tianjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $854 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tianjin

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $854 in Tianjin, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tianjin $854

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,361 in Tianjin, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tianjin $1,361

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,868 in Tianjin, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tianjin $1,868

Medellin costs about 92% more than Tianjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tianjin is 37% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.18 ¥27.81

93.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$24.41 ¥162

92.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.85 ¥38.91

62.39%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.06 ¥27.00

-25.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.47 ¥3.16

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.28 ¥1.88

403.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.00 ¥6.63

218.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.76 ¥11.68

226.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.44 ¥9.58

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.34 ¥15.58

1.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.67 ¥11.11

5.99%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.32 ¥8.81

118.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.78 ¥98.3

-31.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.74 ¥24.92

163.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.76 ¥65.0

43.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.64 ¥10.88

142.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.54 ¥10.23

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.76 ¥11.72

23.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.18 ¥7.87

84.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.89 ¥5.93

120.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.17 ¥7.77

35.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.68 ¥4.50

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.71 ¥4.72

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.40 ¥35.94

-26.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.65 ¥90.9

0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.03 ¥6.88

61.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.55 ¥16.96

-11.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.31 ¥2.06

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$8.82 ¥58.7

777.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.70 ¥11.29

-25.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.38 ¥2.55

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.34 ¥42.21

34.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.26 ¥8.41

7.14%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.1K ¥127.4K

77.90%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.9K ¥119.3K

93.40%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$93.1 ¥620

82.20%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$6.38 ¥42.44

112.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$7.71 ¥51.3

264.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$17.02 ¥113

156.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$10.54 ¥70.2

63.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.56 ¥50.3

-8.60%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$1,293 ¥8,605

-38.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$56.1 ¥373

51.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$28.58 ¥190

102.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$111 ¥742

21.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$139 ¥924

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$362 ¥2,406

234.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$213 ¥1,418

201.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$868 ¥5,776

133.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$462 ¥3,076

118.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,773 ¥31.8K

-12.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,240 ¥14.9K

-14.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,173 ¥7,804

-43.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.54

209.04%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tianjin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tianjin

$213 24.9% 66.8% $429

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tianjin

$226 26.5% 23.8% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tianjin

$107 12.6% 49.3% $104

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tianjin

$111 13% 34.4% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tianjin

$151 17.7% 10.8% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tianjin

$14 1.6% 85.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tianjin

$32 3.8% 44.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $362 in Tianjin. 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 78% higher in Tianjin, 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 $24 in Tianjin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $226 – making Tianjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,866,009

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Tianjin 14,800 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tianjin

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 Tianjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 92%, 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 $1,281 in Tianjin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tianjin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $362 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Tianjin. 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 $854 in Tianjin. That’s a gap of about 92%.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tianjin, where all-in costs run around $854, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tianjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $854 in Tianjin to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Tianjin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 92% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.