Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Xiamen

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Xiamen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $832 in Xiamen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Xiamen $832

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,337 in Xiamen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Xiamen $1,337

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,842 in Xiamen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Xiamen $1,842

Medellin costs about 97% more than Xiamen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Xiamen is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.93 ¥19.52

176.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$23.60 ¥157

99.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$5.20 ¥34.58

82.69%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.57 ¥17.09

17.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.47 ¥3.11

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.35 ¥2.35

302.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.51 ¥10.07

110.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.95 ¥19.61

94.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.47 ¥9.77

2.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.28 ¥15.16

4.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.95 ¥6.31

86.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.64 ¥10.89

76.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$12.02 ¥80.0

-15.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.45 ¥16.27

302.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$11.76 ¥78.3

18.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.58 ¥17.19

53.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.48 ¥9.82

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.67 ¥11.12

30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.99 ¥13.25

9.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.97 ¥6.48

102.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.81 ¥12.06

-12.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.93 ¥6.17

23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.54 ¥3.62

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.92 ¥19.40

35.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$11.38 ¥75.7

20.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.79 ¥5.29

110.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.74 ¥11.57

29.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.16 ¥1.08

631.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$11.93 ¥79.4

548.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.46 ¥9.69

-13.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.29 ¥1.91

606.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.39 ¥49.15

15.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.33 ¥8.85

1.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$19.7K ¥131.4K

72.55%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$17.6K ¥116.9K

97.35%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$43.23 ¥288

292.44%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.70 ¥57.9

55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$10.38 ¥69.0

170.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$47.30 ¥315

-7.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$10.31 ¥68.6

66.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.24 ¥68.2

-32.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$496 ¥3,303

60.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$24.8K ¥164.9K

-63.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$39.20 ¥261

116.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$29.55 ¥197

96.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$107 ¥711

26.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$84.5 ¥562

15.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$352 ¥2,345

242.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$266 ¥1,769

141.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$841 ¥5,596

141.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$544 ¥3,616

86.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$8,588 ¥57.1K

-51.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$4,847 ¥32.2K

-60.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,179 ¥7,847

-44.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.46

216.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Xiamen

$266 32% 58.6% $376

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Xiamen

$217 26.1% 27% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Xiamen

$62 7.5% 70.5% $149

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Xiamen

$87 10.4% 48.9% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Xiamen

$117 14.1% 30.7% $52

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Xiamen

$15 1.9% 83.5% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Xiamen

$68 8.2% 17.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $352 in Xiamen. 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 79% higher in Xiamen, 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 Xiamen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $217 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,531,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Xiamen 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Xiamen

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 Xiamen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,248 in Xiamen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Xiamen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Xiamen. 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 $832 in Xiamen. That makes Xiamen about 49% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $832, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Xiamen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.