Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butuan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $569 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$569

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $569 in Butuan versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Butuan $569
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $899 in Butuan versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Butuan $899
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,229 in Butuan versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Butuan $1,229
Medellin $3,186

Living in Butuan costs roughly 65% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Butuan is 58% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ₱298

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-42.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.45 ₱1,690

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-43.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.32 ₱149

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-75.58%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ₱131

$3.01 COP 9,485

-32.23%

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

$0.30 ₱19.14

$1.80 COP 5,660

-83.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.34

$1.41 COP 4,443

-82.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱101

$3.18 COP 9,990

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₱151

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-58.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 ₱123

$1.51 COP 4,751

27.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₱71.0

$2.38 COP 7,480

-53.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.2

$1.77 COP 5,573

-49.15%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$2.89 COP 9,093

-36.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.42 ₱410

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-37.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 ₱303

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-51.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 ₱601

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-32.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ₱170

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-33.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 ₱69.7

$1.55 COP 4,883

-29.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱153

$2.18 COP 6,867

10.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱74.6

$2.18 COP 6,870

-46.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ₱126

$1.96 COP 6,174

0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.40 ₱218

$1.59 COP 5,000

113.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ₱75.3

$1.15 COP 3,604

2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.69

$1.24 COP 3,911

-43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ₱155

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-38.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱491

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-43.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.3

$1.66 COP 5,221

-23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱103

$2.26 COP 7,103

-29.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$1.27 COP 3,989

-36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.38

$2.05 COP 6,442

-88.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-77.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱68.0

$1.35 COP 4,237

-21.48%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-38.99%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-44.83%

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

$106 ₱6,755

$170 COP 533.7K

-37.68%

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

$18.42 ₱1,177

$13.55 COP 42.6K

35.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.63 ₱1,957

$28.07 COP 88.3K

9.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.59 ₱1,507

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-46.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.18 ₱267

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-39.51%

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

$106 ₱6,768

$797 COP 2.5M

-86.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,473 ₱477.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-17.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 ₱3,805

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-29.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.15 ₱1,926

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-47.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.0 ₱4,410

$135 COP 424.6K

-48.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,878

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-37.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

10.94

-24.04%

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

Last update for Butuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butuan

$198 34.9%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 49.7% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$155 27.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 36.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$99 17.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 71.1% $70

Eating Out

Butuan

$84 14.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 103% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$32 5.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 80.1% $26

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 4554% $92

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $26 in Butuan vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $297 per month, with Butuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

13 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Butuan Medellin 17,120 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

Butuan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $854 in Butuan and $2,459 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $106 in Butuan versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $26 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Butuan versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Butuan 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.