Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yantai

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $631 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Yantai
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Yantai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$631

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yantai

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $631 in Yantai, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Yantai $631

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $932 in Yantai, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Yantai $932

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,233 in Yantai, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Yantai $1,233

Medellin costs about 160% more than Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yantai is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$2.97 ¥19.76

172.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$17.80 ¥118

164.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.55 ¥30.29

108.79%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.78 ¥18.50

8.27%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.53 ¥3.53

239.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.30 ¥1.98

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.11 ¥7.39

186.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.50 ¥16.64

130.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.02 ¥13.43

-25.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.40 ¥9.35

70.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.90 ¥6.02

96.67%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.30 ¥8.63

122.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$16.61 ¥111

-38.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.35 ¥22.27

194.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.82 ¥45.38

105.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.36 ¥9.07

191.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.85 ¥5.65

82.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.02 ¥6.81

113.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.74 ¥4.90

194.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.72 ¥4.78

172.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.72 ¥4.77

120.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.59 ¥3.90

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.58 ¥3.87

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.85 ¥25.59

2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$11.66 ¥77.6

17.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.73 ¥4.87

127.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.02 ¥6.81

121.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.21 ¥1.39

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.37 ¥9.13

-7.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.31 ¥2.07

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.60 ¥43.91

29.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.24 ¥8.28

8.87%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$19.3K ¥128.5K

76.40%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.6K ¥117.0K

97.26%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$44.96 ¥299

277.34%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$6.71 ¥44.62

101.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$6.04 ¥40.22

364.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$30.04 ¥200

45.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$7.63 ¥50.8

125.29%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.58 ¥37.15

23.84%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$361 ¥2,402

120.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$16.7K ¥110.8K

-45.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$17.89 ¥119

373.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$22.58 ¥150

156.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$95.3 ¥634

41.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$91.2 ¥607

7.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$227 ¥1,513

431.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$150 ¥995

328.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$359 ¥2,390

464.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$152 ¥1,014

564.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$3,023 ¥20.1K

37.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$5,152 ¥34.3K

-62.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,062 ¥7,069

-38.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.37

224.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yantai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Yantai

$150 23.7% 76.7% $492

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Yantai

$192 30.4% 35.5% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Yantai

$58 9.2% 72.7% $154

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Yantai

$85 13.4% 50.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Yantai

$102 16.2% 39.5% $67

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Yantai

$3.8 * 0.6% 96% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Yantai

$41 6.5% 28.4% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $227 in Yantai. 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 62% higher in Yantai, 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 Yantai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $192 – making Yantai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,871,000

💱 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 29, 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 29, 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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Medellin Yantai 14,840 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 160%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $946 in Yantai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yantai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Groceries cost about 55% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Yantai, where all-in costs run around $631, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Yantai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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