Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batangas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $620 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Batangas versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Batangas $620
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $901 in Batangas versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Batangas $901
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,183 in Batangas versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Batangas $1,183
Medellin $3,190

Living in Batangas costs roughly 62% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Batangas is 54% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₱134

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-73.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.25 ₱1,212

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-58.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.67 ₱168

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-71.89%

Cappuccino

$2.10 ₱132

$3.11 COP 9,866

-32.48%

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

$0.39 ₱24.34

$1.83 COP 5,800

-78.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.86

$1.38 COP 4,360

-80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$3.05 COP 9,672

-64.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₱89.6

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-74.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.45 COP 4,600

18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$2.36 COP 7,496

-52.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ₱48.09

$1.68 COP 5,328

-54.76%

Eggs

$1.64 ₱103

$2.86 COP 9,077

-42.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ₱348

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-45.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 ₱266

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-55.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.90 ₱434

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-50.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 ₱152

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-40.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ₱89.2

$1.50 COP 4,742

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.17 COP 6,891

7.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$2.31 COP 7,310

-51.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.93 COP 6,113

20.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 ₱213

$1.64 COP 5,196

106.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ₱81.8

$1.13 COP 3,571

15.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$1.25 COP 3,954

-22.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 ₱157

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-37.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 ₱470

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₱83.4

$1.70 COP 5,384

-22.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$2.37 COP 7,525

-24.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 ₱41.44

$1.21 COP 3,827

-45.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.8

$1.32 COP 4,179

-36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$2.14 COP 6,774

-90.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ₱164

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-69.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$1.30 COP 4,114

-20.77%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-23.10%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-46.92%

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

$165 ₱10.4K

$172 COP 545.6K

-4.18%

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

$14.40 ₱907

$13.37 COP 42.4K

7.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.88 ₱1,503

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-16.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.88 ₱1,189

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-58.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.62 ₱795

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-25.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 ₱356

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-9.87%

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

$73.0 ₱4,598

$770 COP 2.4M

-90.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,264 ₱79.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-85.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.87 ₱999

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-81.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.72 ₱1,431

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-60.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.8 ₱3,510

$137 COP 432.9K

-59.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.47 ₱2,485

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-59.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.7 ₱4,576

$616 COP 2.0M

-88.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,979

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-91.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.2 ₱5,992

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-90.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 ₱158.1K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-38.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 ₱102.7K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-2.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 ₱11.7K

$652 COP 2.1M

-71.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-36.01%

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

Last update for Batangas: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batangas

$203 32.8%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 5.4% $11

Groceries & Markets

Batangas

$188 30.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 56.9% $107

Accommodation & Living

Batangas

$73 11.7%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 747% $543

Eating Out

Batangas

$61 9.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 175% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Batangas

$60 9.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 182% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Batangas

$30 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 91.4% $28

Getting Around

Batangas

$4.5 * 0.7%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 1965% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 251% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Batangas vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $295 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Batangas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

15:04 3:04 PM

13 h behind Batangas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,874

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Batangas Medellin 17,130 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Batangas
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

Batangas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batangas and Medellin differ by about 160% in total monthly costs ($620 vs $1,614 including rent). Batangas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 251% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $620 per month in Batangas versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 160% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $620 in Batangas versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Batangas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Batangas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Batangas and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Batangas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.