Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Yilan: $984 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Yilan, Taiwan
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Yilan
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yilan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $984 in Yilan, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Yilan $984

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,699 in Yilan, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Yilan $1,699

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,413 in Yilan, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Yilan $2,413

Medellin costs about 67% more than Yilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yilan is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$3.43 NT$112
135.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.7K
$29.68 NT$968
58.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.6K
$4.84 NT$158
96.28%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,722
$2.86 NT$93.2
5.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,801
$0.99 NT$32.29
81.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,554
$0.69 NT$22.42
104.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.2K
$1.47 NT$47.96
116.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.5K
$2.57 NT$83.7
123.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,869
$3.07 NT$100
-50.81%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,667
$1.74 NT$56.7
36.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,712
$2.65 NT$86.4
-33.21%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,320
$2.52 NT$82.0
14.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$28.23 NT$920
-63.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.8K
$7.94 NT$259
24.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.1K
$16.10 NT$525
-13.11%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$4.31 NT$140
-7.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,005
$1.83 NT$59.8
-15.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,039
$2.95 NT$96.2
-26.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,041
$2.13 NT$69.5
2.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,328
$1.20 NT$39.13
63.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,125
$1.94 NT$63.4
-18.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,694
$2.35 NT$76.5
-51.06%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,009
$0.88 NT$28.81
40.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$3.74 NT$122
5.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.1K
$15.68 NT$511
-12.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,352
$1.36 NT$44.45
22.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,281
$2.50 NT$81.7
-9.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,766
$0.76 NT$24.75
53.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.5K
$33.33 NT$1,087
132.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,089
$2.69 NT$87.6
-52.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,603
$0.95 NT$31.09
115.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$9.33 NT$304
-8.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,343
$0.95 NT$30.96
42.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 109.8M
$25.1K NT$817.2K
35.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.8M
$19.1K NT$621.9K
81.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.0K
$45.67 NT$1,489
271.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$14.60 NT$476
-7.19%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.5K
$20.72 NT$676
35.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 140.9K
$30.18 NT$984
44.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$7.76 NT$253
-10.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$329 NT$10.7K
142.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$16.1K NT$525.0K
-43.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.2K
$54.4 NT$1,773
55.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 186.9K
$30.53 NT$995
89.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.2K
$84.1 NT$2,742
60.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 315.6K
$61.7 NT$2,013
58.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$264 NT$8,607
357.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$247 NT$8,066
159.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,047 NT$34.1K
93.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$722 NT$23.5K
40.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.4M
$7,590 NT$247.5K
-45.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$4,807 NT$156.7K
-60.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Yilan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$1,016 NT$33.1K
-35.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.27
381.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yilan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Yilan
$247 61.4% $394
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Yilan
$367 23.6% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Yilan
$81 61.7% $130
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Yilan
$95 43.7% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Yilan
$104 38.6% $65
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Yilan
$44 53.2% $50
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Yilan
$46 20.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $264 in Yilan. 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 55% higher in Yilan, 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 $30 in Yilan. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $367 in Yilan – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇹🇼 Yilan
🕒 Local time
21:46 9:46 PM
10:46 10:46 AM
13 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
95,907
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.41 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Yilan 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Yilan

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 Yilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yilan cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 67%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,476 in Yilan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Yilan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $264 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Yilan?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $30 in Yilan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Yilan?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $984 in Yilan. That makes Yilan about 40% cheaper.
Is Medellin or Yilan more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Yilan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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