Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cebu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Cebu: $934 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Cebu $934
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,423 in Cebu versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Cebu $1,423
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,913 in Cebu versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Cebu $1,913
Medellin $3,186

Living in Cebu costs roughly 43% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cebu is 31% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 ₱243

$8.09 COP 25.6K

-53.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.33 ₱1,493

$47.05 COP 148.9K

-50.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱252

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-58.53%

Cappuccino

$2.54 ₱163

$3.01 COP 9,540

-15.61%

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

$1.57 ₱100

$1.80 COP 5,693

-12.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.87

$1.41 COP 4,469

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ₱113

$3.18 COP 10.0K

-44.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₱142

$5.75 COP 18.2K

-61.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱121

$1.51 COP 4,778

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ₱87.3

$2.38 COP 7,524

-42.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.9

$1.77 COP 5,606

-46.89%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱127

$2.89 COP 9,146

-31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 ₱621

$10.19 COP 32.2K

-4.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 ₱277

$9.87 COP 31.2K

-56.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 ₱481

$13.99 COP 44.3K

-46.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱212

$3.97 COP 12.6K

-16.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.6

$1.55 COP 4,911

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱150

$2.18 COP 6,907

7.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₱95.5

$2.18 COP 6,910

-31.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱147

$1.96 COP 6,210

17.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 ₱120

$1.59 COP 5,029

17.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱70.5

$1.15 COP 3,625

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 ₱40.42

$1.24 COP 3,934

-49.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 ₱183

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-27.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 ₱389

$13.68 COP 43.3K

-55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱81.6

$1.66 COP 5,252

-23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$2.26 COP 7,145

-23.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.01

$1.17 COP 3,696

-81.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ₱790

$77.4 COP 244.8K

-84.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱47.61

$1.27 COP 4,013

-41.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.11

$2.05 COP 6,480

-89.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 ₱274

$8.55 COP 27.1K

-49.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱83.8

$1.35 COP 4,262

-2.96%

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

$20.8K ₱1.3M

$34.1K COP 107.8M

-39.05%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$34.7K COP 109.7M

-45.06%

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

$118 ₱7,577

$170 COP 536.8K

-30.20%

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

$15.76 ₱1,009

$13.55 COP 42.9K

16.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.33 ₱1,813

$28.07 COP 88.8K

0.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.94 ₱2,108

$43.70 COP 138.3K

-24.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.49 ₱415

$17.19 COP 54.4K

-62.25%

Cinema Ticket

$5.45 ₱349

$6.91 COP 21.9K

-21.13%

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

$276 ₱17.6K

$797 COP 2.5M

-65.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,789 ₱498.5K

$9,112 COP 28.8M

-14.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.18 ₱3,083

$84.7 COP 268.1K

-43.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.47 ₱1,566

$58.0 COP 183.4K

-57.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 ₱4,818

$135 COP 427.1K

-44.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 ₱3,713

$97.9 COP 309.7K

-40.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 ₱30.5K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-60.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.6K

$642 COP 2.0M

-49.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 ₱61.6K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-52.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$626 ₱40.0K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-38.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,551 ₱291.3K

$4,170 COP 13.2M

9.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,028 ₱193.8K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

58.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 ₱21.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

-49.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

10.94

-34.19%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$322 34.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 99.4% $320

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$204 21.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 45.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 30% $49

Eating Out

Cebu

$94 10.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 80.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$93 9.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 82.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.2% $14

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 521% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $477 in Cebu and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Cebu vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $297 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

01:14 1:14 AM

13 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cebu Medellin 17,180 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
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

Cebu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cebu is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Cebu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $477 in Cebu versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $1,639 in Medellin – Cebu is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cebu runs roughly 84% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Cebu is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Cebu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.