Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $773 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
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Qingdao, Shandong Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qingdao, Shandong and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Qingdao, Shandong and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $773 per month in Qingdao, Shandong vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Qingdao, Shandong $773
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,221 per month in Qingdao, Shandong vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,221
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,669 per month in Qingdao, Shandong vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,669
Medellin $3,186

Qingdao, Shandong is about 53% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Qingdao, Shandong sits 43% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 ¥20.27

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-62.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.01 ¥120

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-61.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.41 ¥29.41

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-53.58%

Cappuccino

$2.71 ¥18.04

$3.01 COP 9,485

-9.97%

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

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.80 COP 5,660

-70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.14

$1.41 COP 4,443

-77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 ¥6.99

$3.18 COP 9,990

-66.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ¥17.53

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-54.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ¥12.80

$1.51 COP 4,751

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ¥9.42

$2.38 COP 7,480

-40.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.65

$1.77 COP 5,573

-43.50%

Eggs

$1.33 ¥8.88

$2.89 COP 9,093

-53.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 ¥110

$10.19 COP 32.1K

62.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ¥28.24

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-57.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 ¥64.1

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-31.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 ¥9.34

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-64.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.58

$1.55 COP 4,883

-26.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.43

$2.18 COP 6,867

-21.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$2.18 COP 6,870

-42.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.55

$1.96 COP 6,174

-65.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.51

$1.59 COP 5,000

-38.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ¥6.69

$1.15 COP 3,604

-13.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$1.24 COP 3,911

-50.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 ¥25.64

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-2.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.83 ¥98.9

$13.68 COP 43.0K

8.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.66 COP 5,222

-37.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.26 COP 7,104

-30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.17 COP 3,674

-75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.97 ¥120

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-76.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.72

$1.27 COP 3,989

14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 ¥2.75

$2.05 COP 6,442

-80.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.14 ¥60.9

$8.55 COP 26.9K

6.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$1.35 COP 4,237

-6.67%

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

$19.6K ¥130.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-42.57%

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

$17.4K ¥115.7K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-49.91%

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

$69.3 ¥462

$170 COP 533.7K

-59.16%

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

$6.65 ¥44.35

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-50.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.64 ¥50.9

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-72.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.14 ¥141

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-51.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 ¥118

$17.19 COP 54.1K

2.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.29 ¥41.96

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-8.97%

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

$364 ¥2,427

$797 COP 2.5M

-54.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.9K ¥119.4K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

96.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ¥352

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-37.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.91 ¥326

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-15.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 ¥630

$135 COP 424.6K

-29.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 ¥604

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,263

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-71.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$197 ¥1,313

$642 COP 2.0M

-69.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 ¥5,126

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-62.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 ¥2,675

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-60.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,272 ¥21.8K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-21.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 ¥14.0K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

9.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,220 ¥8,134

$657 COP 2.1M

85.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

10.94

-69.20%

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

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qingdao, Shandong

$223 28.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 33.4% $74

Accommodation & Living

Qingdao, Shandong

$197 25.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 226% $445

Clothing & Footwear

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 30.9% $40

Eating Out

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 102% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 153% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Qingdao, Shandong

$34 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 70.6% $24

Getting Around

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 2.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 313% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 86% higher in Qingdao, Shandong, 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 $18 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $297 – making Qingdao, Shandong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:02 8:02 PM

07:02 7:02 AM

13 h behind Qingdao, Shandong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,071,722

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Qingdao, Shandong Medellin 15,020 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Qingdao, Shandong
Medellin

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

Qingdao, Shandong vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 112%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,159 per month in Qingdao, Shandong and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $773 in Qingdao, Shandong and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 112%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qingdao, Shandong, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Qingdao, Shandong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Qingdao, Shandong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 112% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.