Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qiqihar and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Qiqihar: $719 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Qiqihar
Learn more

Qiqihar Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Qiqihar

🇨🇳 China

$719

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $719 per month in Qiqihar vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Qiqihar $719
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,135 per month in Qiqihar vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Qiqihar $1,135
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,550 per month in Qiqihar vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Qiqihar $1,550
Medellin $3,186

Qiqihar is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.83 ¥18.82

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-65.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.34 ¥142

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-54.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 ¥31.91

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-49.58%

Cappuccino

$2.99 ¥19.87

$3.01 COP 9,485

-0.66%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$1.80 COP 5,660

-73.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$1.41 COP 4,443

-80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ¥6.33

$3.18 COP 9,990

-70.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-64.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.49

$1.51 COP 4,751

24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.64

$2.38 COP 7,480

-32.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.77 COP 5,573

-45.76%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.65

$2.89 COP 9,093

-44.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 ¥86.9

$10.19 COP 32.1K

28.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ¥20.70

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-68.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.22 ¥68.0

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-26.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 ¥12.35

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-53.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.55 COP 4,883

-18.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.27

$2.18 COP 6,867

-29.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$2.18 COP 6,870

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$1.96 COP 6,174

-63.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.59 COP 5,000

-42.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$1.15 COP 3,604

-51.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.46

$1.24 COP 3,911

-58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.04

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-20.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.66 ¥71.0

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-22.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥5.32

$1.66 COP 5,221

-51.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.70

$2.26 COP 7,103

-28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$1.17 COP 3,674

-75.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.54 ¥110

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-78.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.16

$1.27 COP 3,989

8.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$2.05 COP 6,442

-83.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.78 ¥45.11

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-20.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ¥7.54

$1.35 COP 4,237

-16.30%

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

$19.5K ¥129.5K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-42.89%

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

$17.5K ¥116.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-49.62%

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

$45.64 ¥304

$170 COP 533.7K

-73.10%

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

$10.04 ¥66.8

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-25.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.64 ¥77.5

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-58.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.48 ¥283

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-2.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.10 ¥93.9

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-17.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.75 ¥38.28

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-16.79%

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

$337 ¥2,240

$797 COP 2.5M

-57.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.0K ¥113.4K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

87.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.67 ¥291

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-48.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.41 ¥202

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-47.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ¥470

$135 COP 424.6K

-47.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ¥475

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-27.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 ¥1,882

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-76.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,301

$642 COP 2.0M

-69.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$593 ¥3,944

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-70.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ¥2,380

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-64.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,050 ¥20.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-26.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,996 ¥13.3K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

4.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

10.94

-64.44%

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

Last update for Qiqihar: 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

Qiqihar

$200 27.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 48.6% $97

Accommodation & Living

Qiqihar

$196 27.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 228% $446

Clothing & Footwear

Qiqihar

$97 13.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 73.8% $72

Eating Out

Qiqihar

$85 11.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 100% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qiqihar

$67 9.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 214% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Qiqihar

$54 7.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 6.6% $3.6

Getting Around

Qiqihar

$21 2.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 351% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $283 in Qiqihar 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Qiqihar versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $297 – making Qiqihar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qiqihar

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

17:13 5:13 PM

13 h behind Qiqihar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,367,003

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 = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 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 = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qiqihar Medellin 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Qiqihar
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

Qiqihar vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 128%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,079 per month in Qiqihar 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 Qiqihar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $283 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Qiqihar 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 $719 in Qiqihar and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Qiqihar about 56% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qiqihar, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Qiqihar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Qiqihar is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.