Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tianjin and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Tianjin: $854 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$854

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $854 per month in Tianjin vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Tianjin $854
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,361 per month in Tianjin vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Tianjin $1,361
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,868 per month in Tianjin vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Tianjin $1,868
Medellin $3,186

Tianjin is about 48% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tianjin sits 37% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.18 ¥27.81

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-48.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.41 ¥162

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-48.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 ¥38.91

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-38.42%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ¥27.00

$3.01 COP 9,485

34.88%

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

$0.47 ¥3.16

$1.80 COP 5,660

-73.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$1.41 COP 4,443

-80.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 ¥6.63

$3.18 COP 9,990

-68.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 ¥11.68

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-69.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥9.58

$1.51 COP 4,751

-4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 ¥15.58

$2.38 COP 7,480

-1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.11

$1.77 COP 5,573

-5.65%

Eggs

$1.32 ¥8.81

$2.89 COP 9,093

-54.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 ¥98.3

$10.19 COP 32.1K

45.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 ¥24.92

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-62.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 ¥65.0

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-30.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.88

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-58.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.23

$1.55 COP 4,883

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.72

$2.18 COP 6,867

-19.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.87

$2.18 COP 6,870

-45.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.93

$1.96 COP 6,174

-54.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.77

$1.59 COP 5,000

-26.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ¥4.50

$1.15 COP 3,604

-40.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$1.24 COP 3,911

-42.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.40 ¥35.94

$3.96 COP 12.5K

36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 ¥90.9

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-0.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.66 COP 5,221

-37.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ¥16.96

$2.26 COP 7,103

12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.06

$1.17 COP 3,674

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.82 ¥58.7

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-88.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ¥11.29

$1.27 COP 3,989

33.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$2.05 COP 6,442

-81.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 ¥42.21

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-25.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.41

$1.35 COP 4,237

-6.67%

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

$19.1K ¥127.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-43.79%

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

$17.9K ¥119.3K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-48.29%

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

$93.1 ¥620

$170 COP 533.7K

-45.12%

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

$6.38 ¥42.44

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.71 ¥51.3

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-72.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.02 ¥113

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-61.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 ¥70.2

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-38.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 ¥50.3

$6.91 COP 21.7K

9.41%

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

$1,293 ¥8,605

$797 COP 2.5M

62.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 ¥373

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-33.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ¥190

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-50.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 ¥742

$135 COP 424.6K

-17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ¥924

$97.9 COP 307.9K

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$362 ¥2,406

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-70.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 ¥1,418

$642 COP 2.0M

-66.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 ¥5,776

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-57.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ¥3,076

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-54.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,773 ¥31.8K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

14.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,240 ¥14.9K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

17.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,173 ¥7,804

$657 COP 2.1M

78.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

10.94

-67.64%

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

Last update for Tianjin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tianjin

$226 26.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 31.2% $71

Accommodation & Living

Tianjin

$213 24.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 201% $429

Clothing & Footwear

Tianjin

$151 17.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 12.1% $18

Eating Out

Tianjin

$111 13%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 52.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tianjin

$107 12.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 97.1% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Tianjin

$32 3.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 79.1% $25

Getting Around

Tianjin

$14 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 585% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $362 in Tianjin 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.

Salaries run about 78% higher in Tianjin, 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 in Tianjin versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $297 – making Tianjin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

13 h behind Tianjin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,866,009

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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Between locations

Tianjin Medellin 14,800 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Tianjin
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

Tianjin vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,281 per month in Tianjin and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tianjin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $362 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Tianjin and $47 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 $854 in Tianjin and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 92%.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tianjin, where all-in costs run around $854, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tianjin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $854 in Tianjin to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Tianjin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 92% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.