Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Zhucheng

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhucheng: $715 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Zhucheng
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Zhucheng Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Zhucheng

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Zhucheng

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $715 in Zhucheng, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Zhucheng $715

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,135 in Zhucheng, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Zhucheng $1,135

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,555 in Zhucheng, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Zhucheng $1,555

Medellin costs about 126% more than Zhucheng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Zhucheng is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.71 ¥18.12

192.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$21.54 ¥144

114.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.74 ¥31.70

100.42%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.94 ¥19.64

5.78%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.46 ¥3.10

297.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.27 ¥1.78

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$0.95 ¥6.34

221.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.10 ¥14.07

161.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.88 ¥12.56

-22.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.61 ¥10.77

46.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.89 ¥5.96

88.76%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.55 ¥10.39

84.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$13.08 ¥87.5

-22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$3.22 ¥21.56

195.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.26 ¥68.6

36.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.80 ¥12.07

126.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.21 ¥8.08

23.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.52 ¥10.19

42.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.15 ¥7.67

100.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.70 ¥4.71

175.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.96 ¥6.44

70.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.57 ¥3.79

98.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.54 ¥3.63

131.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.10 ¥20.73

28.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$10.63 ¥71.1

25.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.79 ¥5.29

115.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.66 ¥11.09

42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.29 ¥1.95

317.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$16.80 ¥112

355.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.42 ¥9.50

-7.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.36 ¥2.38

494.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$6.56 ¥43.84

29.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.12 ¥7.51

16.07%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$19.3K ¥129.2K

44.83%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$17.5K ¥116.8K

102.70%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$44.24 ¥296

288.99%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$9.82 ¥65.7

36.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$11.80 ¥78.9

143.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$41.73 ¥279

8.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$14.06 ¥94.0

21.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.08 ¥40.68

3.29%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$331 ¥2,215

132.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$16.5K ¥110.5K

-45.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$42.96 ¥287

101.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$30.45 ¥204

87.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$70.7 ¥473

93.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$70.8 ¥473

38.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$277 ¥1,854

280.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$195 ¥1,301

216.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$598 ¥3,997

216.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$366 ¥2,450

179.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$3,041 ¥20.3K

33.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$2,001 ¥13.4K

-16.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.89

181.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Zhucheng: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Zhucheng

$195 27.2% 68.4% $421

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Zhucheng

$200 28% 32% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Zhucheng

$66 9.2% 69.3% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Zhucheng

$97 13.5% 43.1% $73

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Zhucheng

$83 11.6% 50.7% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Zhucheng

$21 3% 77.3% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Zhucheng

$54 7.5% 6.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $277 in Zhucheng. 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 Zhucheng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $200 – making Zhucheng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇨🇳 Zhucheng

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,086,222

💱 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 Zhucheng 15,060 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

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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 Zhucheng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 126%, 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 $1,073 in Zhucheng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zhucheng, 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 Zhucheng. 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 $715 in Zhucheng. That's a gap of about 126%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zhucheng, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Zhucheng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Zhucheng. 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.