Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulacan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Bulacan vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Bulacan $638
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $927 per month in Bulacan vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Bulacan $927
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,215 per month in Bulacan vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Bulacan $1,215
Medellin $3,190

Bulacan is about 60% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₱126

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-74.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.88 ₱1,000

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-65.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-71.47%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱112

$3.11 COP 9,866

-42.44%

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

$0.44 ₱27.72

$1.83 COP 5,800

-75.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₱16.39

$1.38 COP 4,360

-81.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ₱58.4

$3.05 COP 9,672

-69.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱101

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-70.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.45 COP 4,600

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$2.36 COP 7,496

-50.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.1

$1.68 COP 5,328

-43.45%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$2.86 COP 9,077

-37.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.80 ₱176

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-72.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₱217

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-63.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 ₱380

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-57.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-49.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$1.50 COP 4,742

4.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$2.17 COP 6,891

-8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$2.31 COP 7,310

-54.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.93 COP 6,113

-16.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.64 COP 5,196

5.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.14

$1.13 COP 3,571

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.07

$1.25 COP 3,954

-60.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱191

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-23.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.53 ₱222

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-73.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.3

$1.70 COP 5,384

-47.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.1

$2.37 COP 7,525

-34.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 ₱11.81

$1.21 COP 3,827

-84.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.68 ₱421

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-91.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.19

$1.32 COP 4,179

-47.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 ₱9.67

$2.14 COP 6,774

-92.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-77.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$1.30 COP 4,114

-18.46%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-22.56%

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

$16.4K ₱1.0M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-53.74%

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

$112 ₱7,031

$172 COP 545.6K

-35.11%

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

$17.26 ₱1,087

$13.37 COP 42.4K

29.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 ₱1,472

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-18.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 ₱2,340

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-17.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$0.78 ₱49.15

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-95.42%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ₱320

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-18.95%

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

$96.7 ₱6,088

$770 COP 2.4M

-87.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$941 ₱59.3K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-89.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.48 ₱1,793

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-67.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.39 ₱1,221

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-66.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ₱4,756

$137 COP 432.9K

-44.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,493

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-43.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-77.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₱9,223

$616 COP 2.0M

-76.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₱24.2K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-79.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ₱13.5K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-79.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 ₱118.3K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-53.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,458 ₱91.8K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-13.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 ₱18.2K

$652 COP 2.1M

-55.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

10.94

-38.30%

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

Last update for Bulacan: 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

Bulacan

$152 23.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 40.6% $62

Groceries & Markets

Bulacan

$147 23%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 101% $148

Accommodation & Living

Bulacan

$146 23%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 320% $469

Clothing & Footwear

Bulacan

$81 12.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 111% $90

Eating Out

Bulacan

$56 8.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 199% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Bulacan

$47 7.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 22.1% $10

Getting Around

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 951% $84

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Bulacan 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 125% 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 Bulacan versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $295 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

13 h behind Bulacan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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

Bulacan Medellin 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulacan
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

Bulacan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 153% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $958 per month in Bulacan 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 Bulacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $638 in Bulacan and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 153%.

Public transport costs about 1045% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bulacan costs $638 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Bulacan. 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.