Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mandaluyong and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $1,066 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,066

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,066 in Mandaluyong versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Mandaluyong $1,066
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,643 in Mandaluyong versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Mandaluyong $1,643
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,221 in Mandaluyong versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Mandaluyong $2,221
Medellin $3,186

Living in Mandaluyong costs roughly 35% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mandaluyong is 22% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 ₱308

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-40.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.11 ₱1,029

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-65.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.48 ₱222

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-63.37%

Cappuccino

$2.20 ₱140

$3.01 COP 9,485

-26.91%

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

$0.96 ₱61.3

$1.80 COP 5,660

-46.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$1.41 COP 4,443

-65.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱74.0

$3.18 COP 9,990

-63.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₱149

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-59.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.51 COP 4,751

9.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ₱83.9

$2.38 COP 7,480

-44.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱60.2

$1.77 COP 5,573

-46.89%

Eggs

$2.19 ₱140

$2.89 COP 9,093

-24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.07 ₱324

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-50.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 ₱306

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-51.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 ₱435

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-51.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 ₱211

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-16.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₱121

$1.55 COP 4,883

21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 ₱191

$2.18 COP 6,867

37.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ₱115

$2.18 COP 6,870

-17.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 ₱141

$1.96 COP 6,174

12.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱164

$1.59 COP 5,000

61.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.34

$1.15 COP 3,604

-46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.91

$1.24 COP 3,911

-61.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ₱179

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-29.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.55 ₱546

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱56.0

$1.66 COP 5,221

-46.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₱129

$2.26 COP 7,103

-10.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 ₱20.59

$1.17 COP 3,674

-72.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.10 ₱837

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-83.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.38

$1.27 COP 3,989

-40.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.38

$2.05 COP 6,442

-88.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₱121

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-77.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.5

$1.35 COP 4,237

-11.11%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-38.09%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-45.91%

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

$138 ₱8,839

$170 COP 533.7K

-18.46%

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

$17.04 ₱1,089

$13.55 COP 42.6K

25.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.94 ₱1,530

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-14.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.69 ₱2,025

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.03 ₱385

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-12.74%

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

$132 ₱8,429

$797 COP 2.5M

-83.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,937 ₱571.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-1.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.86 ₱1,780

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-67.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.00 ₱1,725

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-53.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 ₱4,505

$135 COP 424.6K

-47.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.2 ₱3,529

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-43.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₱46.4K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 ₱29.2K

$642 COP 2.0M

-28.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,395 ₱153.0K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$996 ₱63.6K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-1.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,203 ₱268.6K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

0.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,924 ₱186.8K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

53.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$537 ₱34.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

-18.22%

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 Mandaluyong: 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

Mandaluyong

$457 42.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 40.3% $184

Groceries & Markets

Mandaluyong

$196 18.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 51.5% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mandaluyong

$179 16.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 17.8% $32

Eating Out

Mandaluyong

$92 8.6%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 85.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Mandaluyong

$81 7.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 108% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Mandaluyong

$44 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 31.5% $14

Getting Around

Mandaluyong

$16 1.5%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 472% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $727 in Mandaluyong and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 22% 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: $16 in Mandaluyong vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $297 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

13 h behind Mandaluyong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,758

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 = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mandaluyong Medellin 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Mandaluyong
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

Mandaluyong vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,066 in Mandaluyong and $1,639 in Medellin, so Mandaluyong is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 18% lower in Mandaluyong. 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: $727 in Mandaluyong versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mandaluyong – a meal for two runs $16 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mandaluyong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.