Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alabang

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $721 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
Learn more

Alabang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alabang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Alabang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $721 in Alabang, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Alabang $721

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,098 in Alabang, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Alabang $1,098

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,475 in Alabang, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Alabang $1,475

Medellin costs about 127% more than Alabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Alabang is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.03 ₱257

100.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$18.49 ₱1,181

154.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$2.78 ₱178

241.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.37 ₱152

27.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.68 ₱43.36

164.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.31 ₱19.58

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.02 ₱65.1

211.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.84 ₱118

212.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.59 ₱102

-5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.14 ₱73.0

108.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.84 ₱53.8

110.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.78 ₱113

62.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.94 ₱315

106.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.46 ₱221

185.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.09 ₱453

97.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.20 ₱141

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.41 ₱90.0

9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.36 ₱151

-7.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.01 ₱64.4

115.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.72 ₱110

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.67 ₱107

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.64 ₱41.21

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.52 ₱33.29

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.82 ₱180

40.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.27 ₱465

88.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.89 ₱56.6

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.81 ₱116

24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.26 ₱16.65

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$11.17 ₱714

592.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.81 ₱51.5

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.21 ₱13.37

876.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.91 ₱122

347.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.21 ₱77.5

11.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

59.73%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

85.13%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$138 ₱8,797

23.22%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.99 ₱894

-3.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$22.79 ₱1,456

23.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$30.60 ₱1,955

42.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$4.61 ₱295

272.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.19 ₱331

33.14%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$70.7 ₱4,518

1026.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$2,479 ₱158.4K

267.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$28.26 ₱1,806

199.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$19.00 ₱1,214

205.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$69.8 ₱4,458

93.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$54.3 ₱3,469

80.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$221 ₱14.1K

447.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$168 ₱10.7K

282.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$489 ₱31.3K

314.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$357 ₱22.8K

183.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,524 ₱161.3K

65.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,227 ₱78.4K

55.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.75

62.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alabang: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Alabang

$168 23.2% 73.9% $474

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Alabang

$165 22.9% 44.4% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Alabang

$174 24.2% 17.4% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Alabang

$82 11.3% 51.8% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Alabang

$77 10.7% 54.4% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Alabang

$14 2% 85% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Alabang

$41 5.7% 28.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $221 in Alabang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $18 in Alabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $165 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Alabang

🕒 Local time

12:46 12:46 PM

01:46 1:46 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

71,075

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Alabang 17,070 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alabang

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

Medellin vs Alabang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,081 in Alabang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $221 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $18 in Alabang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Alabang, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Alabang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Alabang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Alabang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 127% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.