Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,418 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Seongnam, South Korea
Medellin, Colombia
Seongnam
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,418
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,418 per month in Seongnam vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Seongnam $1,418
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,361 per month in Seongnam vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Seongnam $2,361
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,305 per month in Seongnam vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Seongnam $3,305
  • Medellin $3,186

Seongnam is about 14% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Seongnam and Medellin sit above the global median – Seongnam by 4%, Medellin by 20%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.95 ₩9,271
$8.09 COP 26.1K
-14.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.62 ₩55.5K
$47.05 COP 151.9K
-11.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.83 ₩9,112
$9.50 COP 30.7K
-28.11%
Cappuccino
$4.03 ₩5,372
$3.01 COP 9,735
33.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₩2,077
$1.80 COP 5,809
-13.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₩1,008
$1.41 COP 4,561
-46.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.53 ₩4,709
$3.18 COP 10.3K
11.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.81 ₩5,079
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-33.74%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 ₩3,081
$1.51 COP 4,876
52.98%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 ₩4,244
$2.38 COP 7,678
33.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.71 ₩4,945
$1.77 COP 5,720
109.60%
Eggs
$3.67 ₩4,890
$2.89 COP 9,333
26.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.13 ₩12.2K
$10.19 COP 32.9K
-10.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.04 ₩10.7K
$9.87 COP 31.9K
-18.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.41 ₩27.2K
$13.99 COP 45.2K
45.89%
Apples (1kg)
$7.56 ₩10.1K
$3.97 COP 12.8K
90.43%
Banana (1kg)
$3.56 ₩4,747
$1.55 COP 5,012
129.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.65 ₩7,532
$2.18 COP 7,048
159.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.81 ₩9,088
$2.18 COP 7,051
212.39%
Potato (1kg)
$3.76 ₩5,008
$1.96 COP 6,337
91.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.62 ₩3,498
$1.59 COP 5,132
64.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.93 ₩3,911
$1.15 COP 3,699
154.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.35 ₩1,795
$1.24 COP 4,014
8.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.48 ₩4,638
$3.96 COP 12.8K
-12.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.94 ₩25.3K
$13.68 COP 44.2K
38.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 ₩2,798
$1.66 COP 5,359
26.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 ₩2,571
$2.26 COP 7,291
-14.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.09 ₩1,452
$1.17 COP 3,771
-6.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.65 ₩4,864
$1.27 COP 4,094
187.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.67 ₩892
$2.05 COP 6,612
-67.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.76 ₩11.7K
$8.55 COP 27.6K
2.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 ₩1,855
$1.35 COP 4,349
2.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0K ₩40.0M
$34.1K COP 110.0M
-12.00%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K ₩37.4M
$34.7K COP 111.9M
-19.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$215 ₩286.6K
$170 COP 547.8K
26.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.76 ₩49.0K
$13.55 COP 43.8K
171.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.23 ₩28.3K
$28.07 COP 90.6K
-24.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.1 ₩73.4K
$43.70 COP 141.1K
26.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.12 ₩18.8K
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-17.86%
Cinema Ticket
$11.38 ₩15.2K
$6.91 COP 22.3K
64.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$379 ₩505.6K
$797 COP 2.6M
-52.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.1K ₩24.1M
$9,112 COP 29.4M
98.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.7 ₩76.9K
$84.7 COP 273.5K
-31.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.54 ₩43.4K
$58.0 COP 187.2K
-43.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.4 ₩95.2K
$135 COP 435.8K
-47.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.4 ₩112.6K
$97.9 COP 316.0K
-13.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$488 ₩650.4K
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-59.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$360 ₩480.4K
$642 COP 2.1M
-43.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,158 ₩1.5M
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-42.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 ₩1.4M
$1,012 COP 3.3M
3.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,247 ₩9.7M
$4,170 COP 13.5M
73.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,589 ₩7.5M
$1,910 COP 6.2M
192.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seongnam
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$657 COP 2.1M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
10.94
-62.71%

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

Last update for Seongnam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
$426
Medellin
$297 30.2% $129
Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
$360
Medellin
$642 78.1% $281
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
$273
Medellin
$211 22.6% $62
Eating Out
Seongnam
$159
Medellin
$170 6.7% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
$111
Medellin
$169 52.6% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
$78
Medellin
$58 26.1% $20
Getting Around
Seongnam
$11 *
Medellin
$94 724% $82

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Seongnam 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 $42 in Seongnam versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $426 in Seongnam vs $297 in Medellin – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seongnam
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
15:12 3:12 PM
01:12 1:12 AM
14 h behind Seongnam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
967,510
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,489 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.72 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seongnam Medellin 14,620 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seongnam
  • 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
Seongnam vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Seongnam cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,127 per month in Seongnam and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $488 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Seongnam or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Seongnam and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Seongnam and in Medellin?
Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Medellin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is $2,000 enough for either Seongnam or Medellin?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,418 in Seongnam and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Seongnam or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Seongnam – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Seongnam vs other spots: cost of living compared

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