Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vung Tau and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $608 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
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Vung Tau Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$608

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $608 per month in Vung Tau vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Vung Tau $608
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,015 per month in Vung Tau vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Vung Tau $1,015
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Vung Tau vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Vung Tau $1,423
Medellin $3,190

Vung Tau is about 62% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Vung Tau sits 55% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.5K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-75.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.66 ₫405.5K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-66.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.75 ₫97.0K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-60.53%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₫47.6K

$3.11 COP 9,866

-40.84%

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

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$1.83 COP 5,800

-77.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,662

$1.38 COP 4,360

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$3.05 COP 9,672

-74.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.3K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-81.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ₫36.3K

$1.45 COP 4,600

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.36 COP 7,496

-52.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.68 COP 5,328

-47.02%

Eggs

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$2.86 COP 9,077

-42.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.79 ₫124.0K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-52.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₫93.1K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-62.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₫244.4K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-32.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ₫79.3K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-24.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.50 COP 4,742

-17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$2.17 COP 6,891

-70.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.5K

$2.31 COP 7,310

-44.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.93 COP 6,113

-40.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.64 COP 5,196

-27.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.7K

$1.13 COP 3,571

-46.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₫11.0K

$1.25 COP 3,954

-65.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-69.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ₫329.7K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-4.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₫21.1K

$1.70 COP 5,384

-52.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$2.37 COP 7,525

-57.38%

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)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$1.32 COP 4,179

-46.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$2.14 COP 6,774

-72.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-86.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.30 COP 4,114

-38.46%

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

$30.2K ₫782.2M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

7.94%

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

$31.4K ₫811.9M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-11.44%

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

$46.69 ₫1.2M

$172 COP 545.6K

-72.87%

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

$5.90 ₫152.7K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.99 ₫206.9K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-72.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.04 ₫441.1K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-62.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.41 ₫243.6K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-44.78%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ₫91.6K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-43.63%

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

$117 ₫3.0M

$770 COP 2.4M

-84.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,586 ₫248.2M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

6.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.13 ₫547.1K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-75.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.89 ₫489.1K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-66.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₫2.4M

$137 COP 432.9K

-32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 ₫1.8M

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-30.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₫7.9M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-71.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₫5.2M

$616 COP 2.0M

-67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₫19.5M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-60.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₫13.0M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-50.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,301 ₫189.0M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

79.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 ₫113.1M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

160.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 ₫14.8M

$652 COP 2.1M

-12.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

10.94

-21.02%

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

Last update for Vung Tau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vung Tau

$199 32.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 210% $417

Groceries & Markets

Vung Tau

$173 28.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 70.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Vung Tau

$90 14.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 88.9% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vung Tau

$61 10%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 254% $154

Eating Out

Vung Tau

$58 9.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 191% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Vung Tau

$24 4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 140% $34

Getting Around

Vung Tau

$3.7 * 0.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 2450% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $304 in Vung Tau 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 14% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Vung Tau versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $295 – making Vung Tau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

19:20 7:20 PM

12 h behind Vung Tau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vung Tau Medellin 18,140 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Vung Tau
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

Vung Tau vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 166%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $912 per month in Vung Tau 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 Vung Tau, 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 $16.00 in Vung Tau 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 71% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vung Tau, where all-in costs run around $608, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Vung Tau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vung Tau – 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 Vung Tau. 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.