Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bago

For one person, living is cheaper in Bago: $688 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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 Bago
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Bago Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bago

🇵🇭 Philippines

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bago

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 Bago actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $688 in Bago.

Medellin $1,639
Bago $688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,080 in Bago.

Medellin $2,413
Bago $1,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,472 in Bago.

Medellin $3,186
Bago $1,472

Living in Medellin is roughly 138% more expensive than in Bago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bago is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$4.40 ₱281

83.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 149.0K

$15.67 ₱1,000

200.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.86 ₱183

232.17%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,550

$2.35 ₱150

28.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,699

$0.69 ₱43.77

160.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$0.32 ₱20.50

340.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.1K

$1.26 ₱80.4

152.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.80 ₱115

219.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,783

$1.59 ₱101

-5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,532

$1.24 ₱79.1

91.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,611

$0.92 ₱58.9

92.39%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,155

$1.72 ₱110

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.11 ₱390

66.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$4.56 ₱291

116.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.00 ₱447

99.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.70 ₱172

47.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,916

$1.38 ₱88.2

12.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,914

$2.18 ₱139

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,917

$1.12 ₱71.6

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,217

$1.79 ₱114

9.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,034

$2.05 ₱131

-22.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,628

$1.14 ₱72.7

0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,938

$0.52 ₱33.02

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$2.69 ₱172

47.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$6.84 ₱437

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,257

$1.01 ₱64.7

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,152

$1.68 ₱107

34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,699

$0.20 ₱12.67

485.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.1K

$12.19 ₱778

534.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,017

$0.80 ₱50.8

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,486

$0.24 ₱15.43

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$1.79 ₱115

377.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,266

$1.34 ₱85.6

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.9M

$18.2K ₱1.2M

87.67%

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

$34.7K COP 109.8M

$17.3K ₱1.1M

100.74%

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

$170 COP 537.4K

$113 ₱7,192

50.60%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$14.33 ₱915

-5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.9K

$22.00 ₱1,405

27.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.4K

$28.03 ₱1,790

55.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$4.61 ₱294

272.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.27 ₱337

31.12%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$112 ₱7,165

609.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.9M

$8,644 ₱551.9K

5.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.3K

$30.74 ₱1,963

175.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.6K

$17.38 ₱1,110

233.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.5K

$61.6 ₱3,935

118.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.0K

$58.9 ₱3,763

66.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$286 ₱18.3K

321.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$144 ₱9,182

346.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$553 ₱35.3K

266.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$357 ₱22.8K

183.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,770 ₱176.9K

50.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.1M

$968 ₱61.8K

97.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.92

58.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bago: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bago

$144 20.9% 77.6% $498

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bago

$179 26.1% 39.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bago

$149 21.7% 29.5% $62

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bago

$86 12.5% 49.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bago

$76 11% 55.1% $93

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bago

$15 2.2% 84% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bago

$39 5.6% 32.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $286 in Bago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $16 in Bago for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $179 per month, with Bago cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Bago

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

10:20 10:20 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

191,210

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 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 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3,167 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,530 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 63.85 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bago 17,250 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bago

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 Bago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bago is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,031 in Bago to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $286 in Bago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $112 in Bago. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $688 in Bago versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bago but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bago the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bago gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.