Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $692 per month in Shantou vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Shantou $692
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Shantou vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Shantou $1,104
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,516 per month in Shantou vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Shantou $1,516
Medellin $3,190

Shantou is about 57% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shantou sits 49% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-71.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$46.13 COP 146.7K

-48.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$9.50 COP 30.2K

-45.58%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$3.11 COP 9,897

8.68%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$1.83 COP 5,818

-74.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$1.38 COP 4,373

-77.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$3.05 COP 9,702

-71.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$5.50 COP 17.5K

-61.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.45 COP 4,614

10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$2.36 COP 7,519

-38.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.68 COP 5,345

-54.17%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$2.86 COP 9,106

-40.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$10.19 COP 32.4K

33.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$9.53 COP 30.3K

-64.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$14.04 COP 44.7K

-6.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.50 COP 4,757

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$2.17 COP 6,913

-16.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$2.31 COP 7,333

-43.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.93 COP 6,132

-57.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$1.64 COP 5,212

-35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$1.13 COP 3,582

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.25 COP 3,966

-65.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$3.99 COP 12.7K

-7.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$13.35 COP 42.5K

-10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$1.70 COP 5,400

-51.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.37 COP 7,548

-24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$1.21 COP 3,839

-70.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$76.5 COP 243.3K

-68.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$1.32 COP 4,192

15.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$2.14 COP 6,795

-82.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$8.47 COP 26.9K

-13.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$1.30 COP 4,127

-5.38%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$28.0K COP 89.0M

-29.28%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$35.4K COP 112.6M

-49.12%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$172 COP 547.3K

-67.08%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$13.37 COP 42.5K

-33.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$28.73 COP 91.4K

-51.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$6.28 COP 20.0K

20.06%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$770 COP 2.4M

-29.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$9,011 COP 28.7M

168.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$86.4 COP 274.8K

-35.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$57.1 COP 181.7K

-30.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$137 COP 434.3K

-46.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$97.9 COP 311.4K

-6.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$1,055 COP 3.4M

-71.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$616 COP 2.0M

-75.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-68.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$1,023 COP 3.3M

-71.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-43.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

166.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$652 COP 2.1M

62.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

10.94

-69.38%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 37.5% $80

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 307% $465

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 45.5% $53

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 95.2% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 170% $135

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 220% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 283% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $298 in Shantou versus $1,055 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 63% higher in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $214 vs $295 – making Shantou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

13 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

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 = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,561 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Medellin 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,038 per month in Shantou and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shantou, 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 $24.00 in Shantou and $46.00 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 $692 in Shantou and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 133%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shantou, where all-in costs run around $692, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Shantou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Shantou. 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.