Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mambajao and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $508 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $508 per month in Mambajao vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Mambajao $508
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $817 per month in Mambajao vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Mambajao $817
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,126 per month in Mambajao vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Mambajao $1,126
Medellin $3,190

Mambajao is about 69% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mambajao sits 62% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱85.9

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-82.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.83 ₱997

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-65.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.40 ₱214

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-64.21%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₱144

$3.11 COP 9,866

-26.69%

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

$0.38 ₱24.02

$1.83 COP 5,800

-79.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.81

$1.38 COP 4,360

-80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$3.05 COP 9,672

-66.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₱70.6

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-79.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.45 COP 4,600

-37.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$2.36 COP 7,496

-73.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.56

$1.68 COP 5,328

-60.71%

Eggs

$1.26 ₱79.5

$2.86 COP 9,077

-55.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 ₱372

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-42.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱270

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-54.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 ₱346

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-60.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ₱160

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-37.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.50 COP 4,742

8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$2.17 COP 6,891

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$2.31 COP 7,310

-51.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.3

$1.93 COP 6,113

-33.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$1.64 COP 5,196

25.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.13 COP 3,571

-20.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.37

$1.25 COP 3,954

-56.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₱158

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-44.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.0

$1.70 COP 5,384

-41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱70.9

$2.37 COP 7,525

-52.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$1.21 COP 3,827

-83.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.71 ₱675

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-86.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.54

$1.32 COP 4,179

-47.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱12.97

$2.14 COP 6,774

-90.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ₱107

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-79.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.3

$1.30 COP 4,114

-1.54%

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

$21.9K ₱1.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-21.58%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-38.56%

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

$64.9 ₱4,083

$172 COP 545.6K

-62.32%

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

$16.36 ₱1,030

$13.37 COP 42.4K

22.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 ₱1,266

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-30.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.72 ₱1,745

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-38.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 ₱295

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-72.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ₱312

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-21.18%

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

$127 ₱7,995

$770 COP 2.4M

-83.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,993 ₱566.2K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-0.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.83 ₱1,941

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-64.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 ₱1,386

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-61.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ₱4,553

$137 COP 432.9K

-47.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 ₱3,975

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-35.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₱6,360

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-90.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.3 ₱3,542

$616 COP 2.0M

-90.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-87.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,973

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-84.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,172 ₱136.7K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-46.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$990 ₱62.3K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-41.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$153 ₱9,616

$652 COP 2.1M

-76.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

10.94

-37.93%

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

Last update for Mambajao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mambajao

$156 30.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 89% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mambajao

$101 20%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 111% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Mambajao

$85 16.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 101% $85

Eating Out

Mambajao

$59 11.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 188% $110

Accommodation & Living

Mambajao

$56 11.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 995% $560

Sport & Entertainment

Mambajao

$38 7.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 53.7% $20

Getting Around

Mambajao

$13 2.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 605% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Mambajao versus $1,055 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 run about 327% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Mambajao versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $295 – making Mambajao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

12:49 12:49 PM

13 h behind Mambajao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,094

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mambajao Medellin 17,180 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mambajao
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

Mambajao vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 218% more than Mambajao, 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 $761 per month in Mambajao and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mambajao, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $508 in Mambajao and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 218%.

Public transport costs about 614% less in Mambajao. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mambajao, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Mambajao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mambajao costs $508 versus $1,614 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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