Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in South Korea and in Medellin: $1,543 and $1,589 a month, rent and utilities included.

🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,543
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: South Korea is 15.8% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 2.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Korea is 16.9% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.67 ₩10.3K
$8.01 COP 25.8K
-4.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.23 ₩60.7K
$46.55 COP 149.9K
-2.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.43 ₩8,637
$9.43 COP 30.4K
-31.81%
Cappuccino
$3.92 ₩5,266
$2.91 COP 9,374
34.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 ₩2,199
$1.75 COP 5,643
-6.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₩1,117
$1.32 COP 4,263
-37.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.63 ₩4,874
$3.13 COP 10.1K
15.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.55 ₩6,112
$5.55 COP 17.9K
-18.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 ₩2,810
$1.41 COP 4,542
48.23%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 ₩4,060
$2.44 COP 7,858
23.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,545
$1.63 COP 5,245
107.36%
Eggs
$3.22 ₩4,321
$2.82 COP 9,084
14.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.53 ₩18.2K
$9.69 COP 31.2K
39.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 ₩11.8K
$9.32 COP 30.0K
-5.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$26.06 ₩35.0K
$13.46 COP 43.3K
93.61%
Apples (1kg)
$8.59 ₩11.5K
$4.00 COP 12.9K
114.75%
Banana (1kg)
$3.38 ₩4,546
$1.48 COP 4,768
128.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.23 ₩8,364
$2.12 COP 6,839
193.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.09 ₩8,185
$2.25 COP 7,253
170.67%
Potato (1kg)
$3.97 ₩5,331
$1.91 COP 6,155
107.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.72 ₩3,653
$1.62 COP 5,214
67.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.60 ₩3,492
$1.15 COP 3,696
126.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 ₩1,612
$1.26 COP 4,063
-4.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ₩4,542
$3.82 COP 12.3K
-11.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.90 ₩21.3K
$13.11 COP 42.2K
21.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₩2,712
$1.60 COP 5,136
26.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₩3,875
$2.26 COP 7,263
27.88%
🚌 Getting Around
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 ₩1,532
$1.17 COP 3,770
-2.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$46.85 ₩62.9K
$75.0 COP 241.5K
-37.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 ₩4,610
$1.27 COP 4,098
170.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₩862
$2.05 COP 6,600
-68.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.10 ₩12.2K
$8.20 COP 26.4K
10.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₩1,856
$1.27 COP 4,088
8.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K ₩40.0M
$26.8K COP 86.2M
11.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ₩40.2M
$34.4K COP 110.8M
-13.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$206 ₩276.3K
$162 COP 522.3K
26.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.21 ₩52.7K
$13.12 COP 42.3K
198.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.22 ₩31.2K
$28.09 COP 90.5K
-17.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ₩70.9K
$44.33 COP 142.7K
19.06%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.59 ₩22.3K
$16.33 COP 52.6K
1.59%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 ₩14.8K
$6.09 COP 19.6K
80.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$906 ₩1.2M
$764 COP 2.5M
18.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₩31.3M
$8,904 COP 28.7M
161.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 ₩76.2K
$85.0 COP 273.6K
-33.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.14 ₩57.9K
$57.5 COP 185.1K
-24.96%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.5 ₩106.8K
$132 COP 424.2K
-39.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.1 ₩129.1K
$95.8 COP 308.3K
0.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$593 ₩796.1K
$1,028 COP 3.3M
-42.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$423 ₩568.2K
$604 COP 1.9M
-30.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,531 ₩2.1M
$1,802 COP 5.8M
-15.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$922 ₩1.2M
$993 COP 3.2M
-7.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$16.5K ₩22.1M
$3,921 COP 12.6M
320.07%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,341 ₩11.2M
$1,639 COP 5.3M
409.06%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Korea
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,293 ₩3.1M
$626 COP 2.0M
266.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
10.94
-61.33%

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

Last update for South Korea: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
South Korea
$449
Medellin
$288 35.7% $160
Accommodation & Living
South Korea
$423
Medellin
$604 42.9% $181
Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Korea
$268
Medellin
$203 24.1% $65
Eating Out
South Korea
$165
Medellin
$166 0.9% $1.5
Clothing & Footwear
South Korea
$124
Medellin
$166 34.3% $42
Sport & Entertainment
South Korea
$75
Medellin
$57 24.4% $18
Getting Around
South Korea
$58
Medellin
$91 57.1% $33
Good to know
🇰🇷 South Korea
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
13:43 1:43 PM
23:43 11:43 PM
14 h behind South Korea
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,466,201
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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,343 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.45 USD). 1 EUR = 1,506 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.64 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,611 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • South Korea Medellin 14,610 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight
From you
  • South Korea
  • 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

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