Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dipolog and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $776 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$776

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $776 per month in Dipolog vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Dipolog $776
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,132 per month in Dipolog vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Dipolog $1,132
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,488 per month in Dipolog vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Dipolog $1,488
Medellin $3,249

Dipolog is about 54% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Dipolog sits 43% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.53 ₱97.3

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-81.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.22 ₱1,220

$46.53 COP 150.2K

-58.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.07 ₱195

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-67.58%

Cappuccino

$1.55 ₱98.5

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-50.48%

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

$0.37 ₱23.77

$1.77 COP 5,702

-79.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.58

$1.42 COP 4,599

-83.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.09 ₱69.3

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-65.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱99.1

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-72.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱97.8

$1.53 COP 4,948

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 ₱51.6

$2.29 COP 7,397

-64.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₱51.1

$1.94 COP 6,279

-58.25%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱124

$3.07 COP 9,900

-36.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.67 ₱296

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-53.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 ₱290

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-56.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.51 ₱350

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-60.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.7

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-61.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ₱78.3

$1.53 COP 4,934

-19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ₱127

$2.10 COP 6,794

-4.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.1

$2.29 COP 7,405

-59.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 ₱120

$2.11 COP 6,810

-10.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.8

$1.71 COP 5,518

-8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₱64.2

$1.17 COP 3,778

-13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱38.15

$1.58 COP 5,101

-62.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ₱172

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-30.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.04 ₱256

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-71.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₱72.4

$1.76 COP 5,688

-35.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₱101

$2.71 COP 8,756

-41.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.28

$1.18 COP 3,809

-77.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.55 ₱923

$76.3 COP 246.3K

-80.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ₱66.4

$1.81 COP 5,833

-41.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.68

$2.13 COP 6,874

-90.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱119

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-76.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₱54.0

$1.28 COP 4,117

-33.59%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-38.37%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-43.92%

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

$67.9 ₱4,308

$178 COP 573.8K

-61.80%

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

$8.09 ₱513

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-41.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.89 ₱1,516

$30.74 COP 99.2K

-22.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 ₱2,028

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-23.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$5.47 ₱347

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-26.77%

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

$297 ₱18.9K

$790 COP 2.6M

-62.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,827 ₱433.2K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-44.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ₱3,236

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-40.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.96 ₱1,647

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-56.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 ₱5,018

$138 COP 446.6K

-42.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.8 ₱4,236

$98.8 COP 319.0K

-32.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ₱26.2K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-69.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 ₱19.8K

$667 COP 2.2M

-53.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$762 ₱48.3K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-61.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 ₱30.6K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-53.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,505 ₱222.4K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-14.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,701 ₱171.4K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

39.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$236 ₱14.9K

$646 COP 2.1M

-63.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-36.01%

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

Last update for Dipolog: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dipolog

$311 40.1%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 114% $356

Groceries & Markets

Dipolog

$153 19.7%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 101% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Dipolog

$100 12.9%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 71.8% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dipolog

$100 12.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 123% $122

Eating Out

Dipolog

$51 6.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 238% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Dipolog

$43 5.5%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 32.6% $14

Getting Around

Dipolog

$18 2.3%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 430% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Dipolog versus $1,341 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 in Medellin are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dipolog versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $307 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

13 h behind Dipolog

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,759

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dipolog Medellin 17,340 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Dipolog
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

Dipolog vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 118% more than Dipolog, 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 $1,164 per month in Dipolog and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $297 per month in Dipolog and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Dipolog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.