Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $704 per month in Marikina vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Marikina $704
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Marikina vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Marikina $1,094
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Marikina vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Marikina $1,484
Medellin $3,190

Marikina is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Marikina sits 48% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-48.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-29.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-66.63%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$3.11 COP 9,866

-26.37%

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

$0.55 ₱34.81

$1.83 COP 5,800

-69.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$1.38 COP 4,360

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

$3.05 COP 9,672

-66.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-57.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$1.45 COP 4,600

27.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$2.36 COP 7,496

-47.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$1.68 COP 5,328

-36.90%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$2.86 COP 9,077

-27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-55.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-51.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-39.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$1.50 COP 4,742

35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$2.17 COP 6,891

7.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$2.31 COP 7,310

-0.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.93 COP 6,113

23.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$1.64 COP 5,196

112.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$1.13 COP 3,571

-2.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$1.25 COP 3,954

-44.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱184

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-26.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-34.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$1.70 COP 5,384

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$2.37 COP 7,525

-13.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$1.21 COP 3,827

-58.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$1.32 COP 4,179

-44.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$2.14 COP 6,774

-89.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-77.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$1.30 COP 4,114

-4.62%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-22.54%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-45.13%

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

$139 ₱8,744

$172 COP 545.6K

-19.30%

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

$16.19 ₱1,019

$13.37 COP 42.4K

21.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-2.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-18.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$6.28 COP 19.9K

13.22%

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

$131 ₱8,250

$770 COP 2.4M

-82.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-17.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-30.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-50.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$137 COP 432.9K

-44.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-82.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$616 COP 2.0M

-87.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-82.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-85.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-72.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-71.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$652 COP 2.1M

-40.74%

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 Marikina: 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

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 43.3% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 16.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 73.1% $72

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 103% $85

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 678% $537

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 13.5% $6.9

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 2305% $89

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $180 in Marikina 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 69% 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 $32.00 in Marikina versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $295 – making Marikina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

16:49 4:49 PM

13 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

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 18, 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 18, 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

Marikina Medellin 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
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

Marikina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $704 in Marikina, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,056 per month in Marikina 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 Marikina, 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 $704 in Marikina and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 129%.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Marikina and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Marikina, where all-in costs run around $704, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Marikina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $704 in Marikina to $1,614 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 Marikina. 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.