Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manila and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Manila: $931 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
Learn more

Manila Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$931

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $931 per month in Manila vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Manila $931
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $1,519 per month in Manila vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Manila $1,519
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,106 per month in Manila vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Manila $2,106
Medellin $3,139

Manila is about 41% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Manila sits 31% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.61 ₱352

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-29.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 ₱1,718

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-41.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ₱248

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-58.11%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$2.91 COP 9,277

-12.03%

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

$1.42 ₱89.1

$1.75 COP 5,585

-18.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₱50.9

$1.32 COP 4,218

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.2

$3.13 COP 9,969

-62.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱148

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-57.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 ₱122

$1.41 COP 4,495

37.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ₱88.0

$2.44 COP 7,777

-42.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$1.63 COP 5,191

-37.42%

Eggs

$2.29 ₱144

$2.82 COP 8,990

-18.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 ₱493

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-18.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 ₱307

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-47.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.77 ₱425

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-49.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 ₱212

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-15.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₱116

$1.48 COP 4,719

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 ₱186

$2.12 COP 6,768

39.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱112

$2.25 COP 7,178

-20.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₱140

$1.91 COP 6,092

17.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ₱168

$1.62 COP 5,160

66.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 ₱138

$1.15 COP 3,658

91.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.25

$1.26 COP 4,021

-53.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 ₱196

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-18.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 ₱591

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-28.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.3

$1.60 COP 5,083

-16.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱125

$2.26 COP 7,188

-11.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.46

$1.17 COP 3,731

-59.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.58 ₱789

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-83.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.77

$1.27 COP 4,056

-38.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.43

$2.05 COP 6,531

-88.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-76.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.5

$1.27 COP 4,046

4.72%

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

$21.3K ₱1.3M

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-20.31%

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

$19.7K ₱1.2M

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-42.78%

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

$121 ₱7,614

$162 COP 516.9K

-25.16%

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

$16.04 ₱1,006

$13.12 COP 41.8K

22.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.25 ₱1,521

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-13.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.44 ₱2,724

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-2.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.90 ₱370

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-63.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ₱416

$6.09 COP 19.4K

8.87%

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

$613 ₱38.4K

$764 COP 2.4M

-19.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,953 ₱561.6K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

0.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.2 ₱3,647

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-31.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.18 ₱1,704

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-52.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ₱4,862

$132 COP 419.8K

-41.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 ₱3,574

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-40.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 ₱33.5K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₱18.0K

$604 COP 1.9M

-52.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,916 ₱120.2K

$1,802 COP 5.7M

6.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$677 ₱42.5K

$993 COP 3.2M

-31.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,439 ₱278.4K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

13.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,556 ₱160.3K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$485 ₱30.4K

$626 COP 2.0M

-22.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

10.94

-32.08%

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

Last update for Manila: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$287 30.2%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 111% $317

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$221 23.3%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 30.3% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$162 17%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 25.8% $42

Eating Out

Manila

$107 11.3%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 55.6% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$99 10.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 68.3% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$57 6%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 457% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Manila versus $1,028 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 29% 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 $27.00 in Manila versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $221 vs $288 – making Manila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

13 h behind Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manila Medellin 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Manila
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

Manila vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $931 in Manila, $1,589 in Medellin – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,396 per month in Manila and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manila, 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 $931 in Manila and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 71%.

Public transport costs about 496% less in Manila. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Manila, where all-in costs run around $931, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Manila it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Manila has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Manila to $1,589 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Manila. 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.