Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagayan de Oro City and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cagayan de Oro City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$771
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,614 in Medellin.

  • Cagayan de Oro City $771
  • Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $2,402 in Medellin.

  • Cagayan de Oro City $1,141
  • Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $3,190 in Medellin.

  • Cagayan de Oro City $1,511
  • Medellin $3,190

Living in Cagayan de Oro City costs roughly 52% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cagayan de Oro City is 43% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.68 ₱231
$7.93 COP 25.2K
-53.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.80 ₱806
$46.13 COP 146.3K
-72.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.05 ₱192
$9.50 COP 30.1K
-67.89%
Cappuccino
$2.33 ₱147
$3.11 COP 9,866
-25.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 ₱47.91
$1.83 COP 5,800
-58.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ₱39.98
$1.38 COP 4,360
-53.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.38 ₱86.9
$3.05 COP 9,672
-54.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ₱124
$5.50 COP 17.4K
-64.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 ₱93.4
$1.45 COP 4,600
2.07%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₱56.2
$2.36 COP 7,496
-62.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.92 ₱58.0
$1.68 COP 5,328
-45.24%
Eggs
$2.17 ₱137
$2.86 COP 9,077
-24.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.67 ₱546
$10.19 COP 32.3K
-14.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.29 ₱207
$9.53 COP 30.2K
-65.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.76 ₱363
$14.04 COP 44.5K
-58.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.05 ₱129
$4.07 COP 12.9K
-49.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.08 ₱68.3
$1.50 COP 4,742
-28.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.38 ₱150
$2.17 COP 6,891
9.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ₱71.9
$2.31 COP 7,310
-50.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.92 ₱121
$1.93 COP 6,113
-0.52%
Onion (1kg)
$2.53 ₱159
$1.64 COP 5,196
54.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ₱47.87
$1.13 COP 3,571
-32.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ₱30.30
$1.25 COP 3,954
-61.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 ₱190
$3.99 COP 12.6K
-24.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.97 ₱250
$13.35 COP 42.3K
-70.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.22 ₱77.0
$1.70 COP 5,384
-28.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 ₱122
$2.37 COP 7,525
-18.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.41 ₱25.99
$1.21 COP 3,827
-66.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.84 ₱620
$76.5 COP 242.5K
-87.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.63 ₱39.57
$1.32 COP 4,179
-52.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.21 ₱13.18
$2.14 COP 6,774
-90.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.94 ₱122
$8.47 COP 26.8K
-77.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 ₱67.8
$1.30 COP 4,114
-16.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ₱1.3M
$28.0K COP 88.7M
-24.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.9K ₱1.2M
$35.4K COP 112.3M
-46.65%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 ₱8,600
$172 COP 545.6K
-20.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.77 ₱1,433
$13.37 COP 42.4K
70.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.51 ₱1,921
$28.73 COP 91.1K
6.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.70 ₱1,303
$45.24 COP 143.5K
-54.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.87 ₱181
$17.04 COP 54.0K
-83.16%
Cinema Ticket
$4.55 ₱286
$6.28 COP 19.9K
-27.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$66.4 ₱4,181
$770 COP 2.4M
-91.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,257 ₱142.1K
$9,011 COP 28.6M
-74.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.71 ₱1,997
$86.4 COP 274.0K
-63.30%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.08 ₱824
$57.1 COP 181.1K
-77.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$52.4 ₱3,300
$137 COP 432.9K
-61.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$39.65 ₱2,496
$97.9 COP 310.4K
-59.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$377 ₱23.8K
$1,055 COP 3.3M
-64.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 ₱14.4K
$616 COP 2.0M
-62.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$693 ₱43.7K
$1,892 COP 6.0M
-63.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 ₱28.5K
$1,023 COP 3.2M
-55.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,604 ₱101.0K
$4,059 COP 12.9M
-60.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$951 ₱59.9K
$1,678 COP 5.3M
-43.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cagayan de Oro City
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$302 ₱19.0K
$652 COP 2.1M
-53.66%
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 Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cagayan de Oro City
$229
Medellin
$616 170% $387
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cagayan de Oro City
$190
Medellin
$214 12.8% $24
Groceries & Markets
Cagayan de Oro City
$165
Medellin
$295 78.2% $129
Eating Out
Cagayan de Oro City
$83
Medellin
$168 103% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Cagayan de Oro City
$62
Medellin
$170 176% $109
Sport & Entertainment
Cagayan de Oro City
$30
Medellin
$58 94.1% $28
Getting Around
Cagayan de Oro City
$13
Medellin
$93 609% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Cagayan de Oro City and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 116% 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: $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $295 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
01:35 1:35 AM
12:35 12:35 PM
13 h behind Cagayan de Oro City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
728,402
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cagayan de Oro City Medellin 17,240 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cagayan de Oro City
  • 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
Cagayan de Oro City vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cagayan de Oro City and in Medellin?
Cagayan de Oro City and Medellin differ by about 109% in total monthly costs ($771 vs $1,614 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 116% 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.
How do apartment prices compare in Cagayan de Oro City and in Medellin?
Rent for a central apartment: $377 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Cagayan de Oro City and Medellin?
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.
Is Cagayan de Oro City or Medellin safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cagayan de Oro City 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.
Where should expats move: Cagayan de Oro City or Medellin?
Expats usually find Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cagayan de Oro City vs other spots: cost of living compared

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