Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zhangjiagang

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zhangjiagang

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $740 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Zhangjiagang $740

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,149 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Zhangjiagang $1,149

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,558 in Zhangjiagang, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Medellin costs about 118% more than Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zhangjiagang is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.80 ¥25.42

108.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$22.20 ¥148

107.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.98 ¥33.31

90.76%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$3.04 ¥20.32

2.30%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.49 ¥3.29

273.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.27 ¥1.81

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.51 ¥10.09

101.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.22 ¥14.84

147.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.08 ¥13.89

-30.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.09 ¥13.95

12.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.84 ¥5.64

100.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.36 ¥9.09

110.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.64 ¥71.1

-4.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.93 ¥19.59

225.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$9.12 ¥61.0

53.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.04 ¥13.65

99.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.29 ¥8.64

16.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.80 ¥12.03

20.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.11 ¥7.39

108.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.90 ¥5.99

114.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.90 ¥6.03

82.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.87 ¥5.80

29.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.53 ¥3.51

135.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.64 ¥24.37

9.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$13.44 ¥89.9

-0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.94 ¥6.27

80.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.56 ¥10.44

51.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.30 ¥1.99

303.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$17.58 ¥118

335.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.76 ¥11.78

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.39 ¥2.60

448.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$8.76 ¥58.6

-3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.37 ¥9.14

-5.11%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$19.2K ¥128.2K

45.96%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$16.9K ¥112.7K

110.11%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$55.8 ¥373

208.68%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$7.76 ¥51.9

72.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$7.32 ¥48.97

292.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$36.15 ¥242

25.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$16.01 ¥107

6.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.07 ¥40.60

3.46%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$418 ¥2,793

84.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$22.3K ¥149.4K

-59.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$42.99 ¥287

101.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$34.04 ¥228

67.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$65.7 ¥439

107.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$88.5 ¥591

10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$280 ¥1,869

277.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$194 ¥1,295

218.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$719 ¥4,808

163.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$324 ¥2,167

215.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,266 ¥21.8K

24.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,685 ¥11.3K

-0.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.42

219.88%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 68.6% $422

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 30.8% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 66.9% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 38.8% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 42.5% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 75.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 16.5% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $204 – making Zhangjiagang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

13:32 1:32 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,432,044

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Zhangjiagang 15,440 km ≈ 20 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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhangjiagang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $22.00 in Zhangjiagang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $740 in Zhangjiagang. That's a gap of about 118%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zhangjiagang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Zhangjiagang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Zhangjiagang. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.