Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wenzhou and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Wenzhou: $628 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Wenzhou
🇨🇳 China
$628
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $628 per month in Wenzhou vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Wenzhou $628
  • Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,059 per month in Wenzhou vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Wenzhou $1,059
  • Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,489 per month in Wenzhou vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Wenzhou $1,489
  • Medellin $3,190

Wenzhou is about 61% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wenzhou sits 53% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.01 ¥20.10
$7.93 COP 25.2K
-62.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.38 ¥203
$46.13 COP 146.3K
-34.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.66 ¥51.2
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-19.37%
Cappuccino
$2.65 ¥17.75
$3.11 COP 9,866
-14.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.50
$1.83 COP 5,800
-71.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ¥2.02
$1.38 COP 4,360
-78.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 ¥5.73
$3.05 COP 9,672
-71.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 ¥20.28
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-44.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.08 ¥13.94
$1.45 COP 4,600
43.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.95 ¥13.01
$2.36 COP 7,496
-17.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.31 ¥8.78
$1.68 COP 5,328
-22.02%
Eggs
$1.98 ¥13.21
$2.86 COP 9,077
-30.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.61 ¥50.9
$10.19 COP 32.3K
-25.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.18 ¥14.61
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-77.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.49 ¥63.4
$14.04 COP 44.5K
-32.41%
Apples (1kg)
$1.90 ¥12.74
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-53.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 ¥11.95
$1.50 COP 4,742
19.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.69 ¥11.31
$2.17 COP 6,891
-22.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.12 ¥7.46
$2.31 COP 7,310
-51.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.61 ¥4.09
$1.93 COP 6,113
-68.39%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 ¥4.81
$1.64 COP 5,196
-56.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 ¥3.12
$1.13 COP 3,571
-58.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ¥3.95
$1.25 COP 3,954
-52.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.37 ¥22.57
$3.99 COP 12.6K
-15.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.24 ¥88.5
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-0.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 ¥8.16
$1.70 COP 5,384
-28.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 ¥8.21
$2.37 COP 7,525
-48.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.91
$1.21 COP 3,827
-76.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 ¥11.25
$1.32 COP 4,179
27.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.35
$2.14 COP 6,774
-83.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.75 ¥51.8
$8.47 COP 26.8K
-8.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ¥8.46
$1.30 COP 4,114
-3.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥130.4K
$28.0K COP 88.7M
-30.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.5K ¥103.9K
$35.4K COP 112.3M
-56.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$29.91 ¥200
$172 COP 545.6K
-82.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.60 ¥44.11
$13.37 COP 42.4K
-50.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.89 ¥59.4
$28.73 COP 91.1K
-69.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.62 ¥91.1
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-69.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.79 ¥179
$17.04 COP 54.0K
57.22%
Cinema Ticket
$7.60 ¥50.8
$6.28 COP 19.9K
21.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,247 ¥8,340
$770 COP 2.4M
61.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,703 ¥64.9K
$9,011 COP 28.6M
7.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.55 ¥291
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-49.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.78 ¥126
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-67.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.5 ¥645
$137 COP 432.9K
-29.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.71 ¥299
$97.9 COP 310.4K
-54.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$240 ¥1,603
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-77.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$170 ¥1,135
$616 COP 2.0M
-72.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$632 ¥4,228
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-66.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$363 ¥2,428
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-64.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,065 ¥27.2K
$4,059 COP 12.9M
0.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,598 ¥17.4K
$1,678 COP 5.3M
54.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wenzhou
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$868 ¥5,803
$652 COP 2.1M
33.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.46
10.94
-68.37%

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

Last update for Wenzhou: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Wenzhou
$196
Medellin
$295 50.7% $99
Accommodation & Living
Wenzhou
$170
Medellin
$616 263% $446
Eating Out
Wenzhou
$93
Medellin
$168 82% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Wenzhou
$92
Medellin
$170 85.7% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wenzhou
$45
Medellin
$214 372% $169
Sport & Entertainment
Wenzhou
$29
Medellin
$58 101% $29
Getting Around
Wenzhou
$4.6 *
Medellin
$93 1938% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $240 in Wenzhou 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 33% higher in Wenzhou, 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 $30.00 in Wenzhou versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $295 – making Wenzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Wenzhou
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
08:06 8:06 AM
19:06 7:06 PM
13 h behind Wenzhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,300,000
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wenzhou Medellin 15,820 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wenzhou
  • 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
Wenzhou vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Wenzhou?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $942 per month in Wenzhou and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Wenzhou, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Wenzhou or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Wenzhou and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Wenzhou and in Medellin?
Groceries cost about 51% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Wenzhou or in Medellin?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Wenzhou, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Wenzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Wenzhou or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Wenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Wenzhou. 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.

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