Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Xi'an

For one person, living is cheaper in Xi’an: $755 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Xi'an
Learn more

Xi'an Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Xi'an

🇨🇳 China

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Xi'an

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $755 in Xi’an, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Xi'an $755

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,173 in Xi’an, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Xi'an $1,173

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,592 in Xi’an, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Xi'an $1,592

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

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Xi’an is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$2.92 ¥19.47

185.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$18.34 ¥122

153.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$4.55 ¥30.32

108.13%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.10 ¥13.96

49.05%

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

$1.77 COP 5,728

$0.42 ¥2.78

321.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,620

$0.27 ¥1.80

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.47 ¥9.76

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.49 ¥9.90

282.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,971

$1.46 ¥9.72

4.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,431

$1.73 ¥11.53

32.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,308

$0.87 ¥5.77

122.99%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,945

$1.47 ¥9.76

108.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$11.43 ¥76.1

-12.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.46 ¥29.74

134.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$10.65 ¥70.9

31.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.63 ¥10.83

148.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,957

$1.16 ¥7.71

31.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,825

$1.14 ¥7.58

84.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,439

$1.31 ¥8.75

74.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,841

$0.64 ¥4.27

229.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,543

$0.79 ¥5.28

116.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,795

$0.70 ¥4.65

67.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,125

$0.55 ¥3.65

187.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.46 ¥23.07

13.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.6K

$11.13 ¥74.1

26.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,714

$0.81 ¥5.38

117.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,796

$1.74 ¥11.61

55.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

$0.31 ¥2.08

280.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$24.59 ¥164

210.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,860

$1.25 ¥8.35

44.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,906

$0.29 ¥1.90

634.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$3.55 ¥23.65

129.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,136

$1.37 ¥9.11

-6.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$19.2K ¥127.9K

79.39%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$17.5K ¥116.6K

95.03%

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

$178 COP 576.4K

$88.4 ¥589

101.01%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$6.47 ¥43.12

114.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$10.74 ¥71.5

186.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$29.85 ¥199

40.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$21.42 ¥143

-21.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$5.70 ¥38.00

31.05%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$908 ¥6,045

-12.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$22.3K ¥148.8K

-44.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 280.0K

$39.32 ¥262

119.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$37.62 ¥251

57.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.7K

$76.2 ¥508

81.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.5K

$109 ¥725

-9.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$290 ¥1,932

362.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$188 ¥1,250

255.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$715 ¥4,760

176.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$361 ¥2,404

186.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,285 ¥15.2K

79.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,598 ¥10.6K

21.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,262 ¥8,402

-48.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.35

226.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Xi'an: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Xi'an

$188 24.9% 71.9% $480

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Xi'an

$199 26.3% 35.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Xi'an

$106 14% 52.5% $117

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Xi'an

$75 10% 56.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Xi'an

$118 15.6% 31.6% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Xi'an

$29 3.8% 69.5% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Xi'an

$41 5.5% 27.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $290 in Xi’an. 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 95% higher in Xi’an, 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 $18 in Xi’an. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $199 – making Xi’an the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Xi'an

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

15:22 3:22 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,183,280

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,636 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Xi'an 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Xi'an

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 Xi'an: 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,132 in Xi’an. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xi’an, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $18 in Xi’an. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $755 in Xi’an. That makes Xi’an about 55% cheaper.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $755 in Xi’an to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Xi’an is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.