Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Xiamen: $832 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $832 per month in Xiamen vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Xiamen $832
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,337 per month in Xiamen vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Xiamen $1,337
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,842 per month in Xiamen vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Xiamen $1,842
Medellin $3,186

Xiamen is about 49% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Xiamen sits 39% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.49

$8.09 COP 25.6K

-63.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$47.05 COP 149.1K

-49.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.52

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-45.26%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.06

$3.01 COP 9,554

-14.62%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$1.80 COP 5,701

-73.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$1.41 COP 4,476

-75.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$3.18 COP 10.1K

-52.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.57

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-48.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.51 COP 4,785

-2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$2.38 COP 7,535

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.77 COP 5,613

-46.33%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.87

$2.89 COP 9,159

-43.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.8

$10.19 COP 32.3K

17.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.24

$9.87 COP 31.3K

-75.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.1

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.16

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-35.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.80

$1.55 COP 4,918

-4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$2.18 COP 6,917

-23.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.23

$2.18 COP 6,920

-8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.47

$1.96 COP 6,219

-50.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.04

$1.59 COP 5,037

13.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.15

$1.15 COP 3,630

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.61

$1.24 COP 3,939

-56.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.36

$3.96 COP 12.6K

-26.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$13.68 COP 43.4K

-16.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$1.66 COP 5,259

-52.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.55

$2.26 COP 7,155

-23.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$1.17 COP 3,701

-86.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.2

$77.4 COP 245.2K

-84.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$1.27 COP 4,018

14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$2.05 COP 6,489

-85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.07

$8.55 COP 27.1K

-13.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.35 COP 4,268

-1.48%

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

$19.7K ¥131.1K

$34.1K COP 108.0M

-42.05%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$34.7K COP 109.9M

-49.33%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$170 COP 537.6K

-74.52%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$13.55 COP 42.9K

-35.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥68.9

$28.07 COP 88.9K

-63.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$43.70 COP 138.5K

8.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$17.19 COP 54.5K

-40.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.0

$6.91 COP 21.9K

48.19%

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

$496 ¥3,297

$797 COP 2.5M

-37.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$9,112 COP 28.9M

172.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥260

$84.7 COP 268.4K

-53.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$58.0 COP 183.7K

-49.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$135 COP 427.6K

-20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥561

$97.9 COP 310.1K

-13.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,341

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-70.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,766

$642 COP 2.0M

-58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,587

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-58.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,610

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-46.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.0K

$4,170 COP 13.2M

105.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$1,910 COP 6.1M

153.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,833

$657 COP 2.1M

79.47%

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 Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 141% $376

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 44.3% $52

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 95.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 15.1% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 239% $149

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 505% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $352 in Xiamen 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 79% higher in Xiamen, 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 Xiamen versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $297 – making Xiamen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

22:20 10:20 PM

13 h behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.151 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.82 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.151 USD). 1 EUR = 7.44 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,548 COP (10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xiamen Medellin 16,290 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

Xiamen vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,248 per month in Xiamen 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 Xiamen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $352 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Xiamen 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 $832 in Xiamen and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Xiamen about 49% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Xiamen, where all-in costs run around $832, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Xiamen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Xiamen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.