Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calamba and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Calamba: $510 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Calamba
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Calamba Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Calamba

🇵🇭 Philippines

$510

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $510 in Calamba versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Calamba $510
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $752 in Calamba versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Calamba $752
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $994 in Calamba versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Calamba $994
Medellin $3,186

Living in Calamba costs roughly 69% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Calamba is 62% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ₱243

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-52.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.63 ₱739

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-75.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.68 ₱170

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-71.79%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱111

$3.01 COP 9,734

-41.86%

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

$0.59 ₱37.59

$1.80 COP 5,809

-67.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.31

$1.41 COP 4,560

-78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ₱58.4

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-71.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱101

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-72.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₱105

$1.51 COP 4,875

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.8

$2.38 COP 7,677

-52.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$1.77 COP 5,719

-46.89%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.89 COP 9,332

-31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱311

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ₱217

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-65.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱477

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-46.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₱143

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-43.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₱95.2

$1.55 COP 5,011

-3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₱146

$2.18 COP 7,047

5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.6

$2.18 COP 7,050

-53.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.96 COP 6,336

-14.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 ₱111

$1.59 COP 5,131

10.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ₱40.68

$1.15 COP 3,698

-44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ₱32.61

$1.24 COP 4,014

-58.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 ₱182

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-27.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.66 ₱550

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱60.2

$1.66 COP 5,359

-42.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ₱129

$2.26 COP 7,290

-10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱50.7

$1.27 COP 4,094

-37.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.27

$2.05 COP 6,611

-88.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.86 ₱118

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-78.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱56.9

$1.35 COP 4,348

-33.33%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-39.68%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-45.85%

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

$137 ₱8,687

$170 COP 547.7K

-19.36%

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

$17.32 ₱1,100

$13.55 COP 43.7K

27.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.37 ₱1,484

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-16.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱325

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-25.90%

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

$129 ₱8,177

$797 COP 2.6M

-83.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱672.6K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

16.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.97 ₱1,776

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-66.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.17 ₱1,217

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-66.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₱4,532

$135 COP 435.7K

-47.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,472

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-44.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 ₱15.8K

$657 COP 2.1M

-62.09%

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 Calamba: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calamba

$178 34.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 19% $34

Groceries & Markets

Calamba

$172 33.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 72.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Calamba

$78 15.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 117% $91

Eating Out

Calamba

$71 13.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 139% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Calamba

$10 * 2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 462% $47

Getting Around

Calamba

$2 * 0.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 4578% $92

Accommodation & Living

Calamba

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays about 2.6 times 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: $12 in Calamba vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $297 per month, with Calamba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calamba

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:55 11:55 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

13 h behind Calamba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

539,671

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 = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 70.87 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calamba Medellin 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Calamba
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

Calamba vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Calamba wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Calamba the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Calamba. 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 73% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $510 per month in Calamba versus $1,639 in Medellin – Calamba is about 69% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $510 in Calamba versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Calamba but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Calamba 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.

It comes down to priorities – Calamba wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.