Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $2,021 in Taipa, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Taipa
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Taipa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Taipa

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,021

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,021 per month in Taipa vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Taipa $2,021
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $3,160 per month in Taipa vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Taipa $3,160
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,299 per month in Taipa vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Taipa $4,299
Medellin $3,190

Taipa costs about 25% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taipa and Medellin sit above the global median – Taipa by 50%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.00 MOP 48.48

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-24.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 MOP 453

$46.13 COP 146.3K

21.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.92 MOP 47.82

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-37.68%

Cappuccino

$5.06 MOP 40.93

$3.11 COP 9,866

62.70%

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

$0.71 MOP 5.74

$1.83 COP 5,800

-61.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MOP 3.09

$1.38 COP 4,360

-72.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 MOP 46.75

$3.05 COP 9,672

89.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 MOP 57.6

$5.50 COP 17.4K

29.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.14 MOP 25.40

$1.45 COP 4,600

116.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 MOP 14.05

$2.36 COP 7,496

-26.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 MOP 13.29

$1.68 COP 5,328

-2.38%

Eggs

$3.50 MOP 28.33

$2.86 COP 9,077

22.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 MOP 129

$10.19 COP 32.3K

56.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.63 MOP 159

$9.53 COP 30.2K

105.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.44 MOP 238

$14.04 COP 44.5K

109.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MOP 21.86

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-33.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.82

$1.50 COP 4,742

96.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 MOP 15.22

$2.17 COP 6,891

-13.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 MOP 19.56

$2.31 COP 7,310

4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 MOP 31.39

$1.93 COP 6,113

101.04%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 MOP 23.41

$1.64 COP 5,196

76.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 MOP 5.42

$1.13 COP 3,571

-40.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 MOP 9.20

$1.25 COP 3,954

-8.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 MOP 54.9

$3.99 COP 12.6K

70.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.53 MOP 101

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.31

$1.70 COP 5,384

4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MOP 18.36

$2.37 COP 7,525

-4.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 MOP 20.88

$1.32 COP 4,179

95.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 10.05

$2.14 COP 6,774

-42.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 MOP 118

$8.47 COP 26.8K

72.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 MOP 14.50

$1.30 COP 4,114

37.69%

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

$31.4K MOP 254.1K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

12.30%

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

$32.0K MOP 258.6K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-9.66%

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

$121 MOP 974

$172 COP 545.6K

-29.95%

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

$23.97 MOP 194

$13.37 COP 42.4K

79.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.43 MOP 303

$28.73 COP 91.1K

30.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.4 MOP 601

$45.24 COP 143.5K

64.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.68 MOP 29.76

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-78.40%

Cinema Ticket

$12.55 MOP 101

$6.28 COP 19.9K

99.84%

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

$1,217 MOP 9,835

$770 COP 2.4M

57.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K MOP 152.1K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

108.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.7 MOP 555

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 MOP 265

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-42.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 MOP 752

$137 COP 432.9K

-31.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,080

$97.9 COP 310.4K

36.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 MOP 8,515

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-0.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$982 MOP 7,936

$616 COP 2.0M

59.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,091 MOP 16.9K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

10.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,906 MOP 15.4K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

86.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.1K MOP 129.7K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

295.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.5K MOP 109.3K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

705.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-72.58%

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

Last update for Taipa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipa

$982 48.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 37.3% $366

Groceries & Markets

Taipa

$427 21.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 30.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipa

$182 9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 17.7% $32

Eating Out

Taipa

$174 8.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 3.2% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Taipa

$148 7.3%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 15.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Taipa

$99 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 41.9% $42

Getting Around

Taipa

$8.8 * 0.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 961% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,053 in Taipa 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Taipa versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $427 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Taipa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:21 3:21 PM

02:21 2:21 AM

13 h behind Taipa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,497

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.09 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipa Medellin 16,700 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipa
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

Taipa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Taipa is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,031 per month in Taipa 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 Medellin, 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 $56.0 in Taipa and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Taipa, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Taipa at $2,021. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taipa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taipa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.