Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taipei and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Taipei: $1,368 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Taipei
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Taipei Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Taipei

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,368

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Taipei vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Taipei $1,368
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,202 per month in Taipei vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Taipei $2,202
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,036 per month in Taipei vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Taipei $3,036
Medellin $3,190

Taipei is about 15% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Taipei and Medellin sit above the global median – Taipei by 1%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.60 NT$149

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-41.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.13 NT$1,528

$46.13 COP 146.3K

2.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 NT$181

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-41.26%

Cappuccino

$3.45 NT$112

$3.11 COP 9,866

10.93%

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

$0.94 NT$30.61

$1.83 COP 5,800

-48.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.73

$1.38 COP 4,360

-51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$3.05 COP 9,672

-6.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NT$120

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.12 NT$101

$1.45 COP 4,600

115.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 NT$64.0

$2.36 COP 7,496

-16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 NT$103

$1.68 COP 5,328

88.10%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$86.9

$2.86 COP 9,077

-6.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.90 NT$645

$10.19 COP 32.3K

95.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 NT$319

$9.53 COP 30.2K

3.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.51 NT$698

$14.04 COP 44.5K

53.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 NT$157

$4.07 COP 12.9K

19.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 NT$105

$1.50 COP 4,742

116.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 NT$98.2

$2.17 COP 6,891

39.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 NT$147

$2.31 COP 7,310

96.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 NT$90.4

$1.93 COP 6,113

44.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 NT$75.9

$1.64 COP 5,196

42.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.5

$1.13 COP 3,571

48.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 NT$35.62

$1.25 COP 3,954

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 NT$123

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-4.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 NT$460

$13.35 COP 42.3K

6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 NT$53.0

$1.70 COP 5,384

-4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 NT$74.3

$2.37 COP 7,525

-3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 NT$21.04

$1.21 COP 3,827

-46.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 NT$1,228

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-50.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 NT$86.8

$1.32 COP 4,179

103.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 NT$26.55

$2.14 COP 6,774

-61.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.17 NT$297

$8.47 COP 26.8K

8.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 NT$32.93

$1.30 COP 4,114

-21.54%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

17.24%

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

$24.5K NT$795.1K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-30.76%

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

$87.7 NT$2,843

$172 COP 545.6K

-49.05%

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

$17.28 NT$560

$13.37 COP 42.4K

29.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.38 NT$888

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-4.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 NT$1,308

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-10.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.94 NT$517

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-6.46%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 NT$319

$6.28 COP 19.9K

56.53%

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

$663 NT$21.5K

$770 COP 2.4M

-13.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K NT$538.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

84.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 NT$2,025

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-27.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.51 NT$1,281

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-30.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 NT$2,740

$137 COP 432.9K

-38.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 NT$3,424

$97.9 COP 310.4K

7.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 NT$32.4K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-5.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 NT$15.3K

$616 COP 2.0M

-23.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,565 NT$50.8K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-17.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$948 NT$30.7K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-7.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.9K NT$385.6K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

192.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,306 NT$236.9K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

335.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,760 NT$57.1K

$652 COP 2.1M

169.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

10.94

-78.06%

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

Last update for Taipei: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taipei

$473 34.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 30.1% $142

Groceries & Markets

Taipei

$400 29.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 26.4% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taipei

$132 9.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 61.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Taipei

$131 9.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 29.4% $39

Eating Out

Taipei

$123 9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 36.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Taipei

$60 4.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 3.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Taipei

$47 3.5%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 97.5% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $999 in Taipei 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 170% higher in Taipei, 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 $47.00 in Taipei versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Taipei

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

13 h behind Taipei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,635,286 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taipei Medellin 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Taipei
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

Taipei vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,052 per month in Taipei 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 Taipei, 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 $47.00 in Taipei 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 $1,368 in Taipei and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taipei, where all-in costs run around $1,368, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Taipei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taipei – 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 Taipei. 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.