Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanya and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanya: $773 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Sanya
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Sanya Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sanya

🇨🇳 China

$773

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $773 per month in Sanya vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanya $773
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,244 per month in Sanya vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanya $1,244
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,716 per month in Sanya vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanya $1,716
Medellin $3,249

Sanya is about 54% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sanya sits 43% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.34 ¥22.25

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-59.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.58 ¥150

$46.53 COP 150.3K

-51.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.23 ¥41.45

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-34.21%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ¥14.13

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-32.27%

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

$0.52 ¥3.46

$1.77 COP 5,705

-70.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ¥2.62

$1.42 COP 4,601

-72.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ¥9.14

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-56.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.78

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-68.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ¥14.05

$1.53 COP 4,950

37.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$2.29 COP 7,401

-42.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.45

$1.94 COP 6,282

-19.07%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.72

$3.07 COP 9,905

-47.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.86 ¥152

$9.99 COP 32.3K

128.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 ¥30.60

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-55.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 ¥79.1

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-14.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.38

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-42.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.25

$1.53 COP 4,937

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ¥16.23

$2.10 COP 6,797

16.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.93

$2.29 COP 7,409

-15.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 ¥5.77

$2.11 COP 6,813

-58.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.79

$1.71 COP 5,521

-57.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$1.17 COP 3,780

-55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.14

$1.58 COP 5,104

-60.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 ¥25.70

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-1.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.30 ¥48.62

$14.04 COP 45.4K

-48.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$1.76 COP 5,690

-47.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.00

$2.71 COP 8,760

-39.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.18 COP 3,811

-73.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.40 ¥123

$76.3 COP 246.4K

-75.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.72

$1.81 COP 5,836

-19.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$2.13 COP 6,878

-84.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 ¥38.44

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-29.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.35

$1.28 COP 4,119

-2.34%

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

$20.8K ¥138.2K

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-39.73%

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

$19.6K ¥130.6K

$34.1K COP 110.3M

-42.53%

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

$56.8 ¥378

$178 COP 574.1K

-68.04%

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

$6.60 ¥43.92

$13.89 COP 44.9K

-52.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.45 ¥29.66

$30.74 COP 99.3K

-85.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 ¥279

$41.94 COP 135.5K

-0.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 ¥98.7

$16.80 COP 54.3K

-11.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ¥43.49

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-12.58%

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

$463 ¥3,081

$790 COP 2.6M

-41.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K ¥152.4K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

86.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.40 ¥289

$86.3 COP 278.9K

-49.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.94 ¥213

$59.3 COP 191.4K

-46.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ¥495

$138 COP 446.9K

-46.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 ¥535

$98.8 COP 319.2K

-18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 ¥1,876

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-78.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ¥1,252

$667 COP 2.2M

-71.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$605 ¥4,028

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-69.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,495

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-63.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,234 ¥21.5K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-21.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥12.5K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-2.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$911 ¥6,063

$646 COP 2.1M

40.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

10.94

-69.29%

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

Last update for Sanya: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanya

$251 32.4%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 22.6% $57

Accommodation & Living

Sanya

$188 24.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 255% $479

Clothing & Footwear

Sanya

$104 13.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 66.3% $69

Eating Out

Sanya

$85 11%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 103% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanya

$68 8.8%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 228% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Sanya

$55 7.1%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 3.5% $1.9

Getting Around

Sanya

$23 2.9%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 311% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Sanya versus $1,341 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 41% higher in Sanya, 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 $23 in Sanya versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $307 – making Sanya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Sanya

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

03:24 3:24 AM

13 h behind Sanya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,031,396

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.66 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.48 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sanya Medellin 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanya
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

Sanya vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 119%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,159 per month in Sanya and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Sanya 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 Sanya and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes Sanya about 54% cheaper.

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

For expats, Sanya is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.