Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malaybalay and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $756 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
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Malaybalay Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$756

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Malaybalay versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Malaybalay $756
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,182 in Malaybalay versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Malaybalay $1,182
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,607 in Malaybalay versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Malaybalay $1,607
Medellin $3,190

Living in Malaybalay costs roughly 53% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malaybalay is 44% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.89 ₱308

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-38.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.45 ₱1,035

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-64.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.51 ₱221

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-63.05%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ₱137

$3.11 COP 9,866

-29.90%

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

$0.49 ₱31.14

$1.83 COP 5,800

-73.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.93

$1.38 COP 4,360

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$3.05 COP 9,672

-62.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₱121

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-65.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ₱127

$1.45 COP 4,600

39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$2.36 COP 7,496

-52.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ₱55.2

$1.68 COP 5,328

-47.62%

Eggs

$1.87 ₱118

$2.86 COP 9,077

-34.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.41 ₱404

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-37.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 ₱307

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-48.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.06 ₱570

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-35.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 ₱175

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$1.50 COP 4,742

-28.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 ₱150

$2.17 COP 6,891

10.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.8

$2.31 COP 7,310

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 ₱123

$1.93 COP 6,113

1.55%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 ₱213

$1.64 COP 5,196

106.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₱75.3

$1.13 COP 3,571

6.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ₱41.82

$1.25 COP 3,954

-47.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 ₱156

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-38.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 ₱489

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-41.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 ₱80.1

$1.70 COP 5,384

-25.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₱102

$2.37 COP 7,525

-31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.60

$1.21 COP 3,827

-81.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.70 ₱674

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-86.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.9

$1.32 COP 4,179

-36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.40

$2.14 COP 6,774

-89.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱119

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-77.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ₱80.2

$1.30 COP 4,114

-2.31%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-22.88%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-46.41%

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

$109 ₱6,856

$172 COP 545.6K

-36.72%

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

$19.33 ₱1,217

$13.37 COP 42.4K

44.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 ₱1,962

$28.73 COP 91.1K

8.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.01 ₱1,890

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-33.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.18 ₱263

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-75.47%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ₱306

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-22.61%

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

$106 ₱6,689

$770 COP 2.4M

-86.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,589 ₱477.8K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-15.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.02 ₱2,079

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-61.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.31 ₱1,216

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-66.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 ₱4,451

$137 COP 432.9K

-48.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,821

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-38.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₱17.5K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-73.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$616 COP 2.0M

-71.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 ₱27.8K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-76.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 ₱25.4K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-60.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,200 ₱138.5K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-45.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,006 ₱63.4K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-40.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 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 Malaybalay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malaybalay

$199 26.4%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 47.8% $95

Accommodation & Living

Malaybalay

$173 22.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 257% $443

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malaybalay

$159 21.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 34.4% $55

Eating Out

Malaybalay

$89 11.7%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 90% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Malaybalay

$83 10.9%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 106% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Malaybalay

$40 5.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 45.5% $18

Getting Around

Malaybalay

$14 1.8%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 589% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $279 in Malaybalay and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16.00 in Malaybalay vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $295 per month, with Malaybalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:08 2:08 AM

13:08 1:08 PM

13 h behind Malaybalay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

190,712

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malaybalay Medellin 17,210 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Malaybalay
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

Malaybalay vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malaybalay and Medellin differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($756 vs $1,614 including rent). Malaybalay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,134 in Malaybalay and $2,421 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $279 in Malaybalay versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malaybalay – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $756 in Malaybalay versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Malaybalay but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Malaybalay 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.

Expats usually find Malaybalay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.