Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bataan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bataan: $484 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Bataan
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Bataan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bataan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bataan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $484 in Bataan.

Medellin $1,639
Bataan $484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $808 in Bataan.

Medellin $2,413
Bataan $808

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,132 in Bataan.

Medellin $3,186
Bataan $1,132

Living in Medellin is roughly 239% more expensive than in Bataan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bataan is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$1.35 ₱86.6

499.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$16.58 ₱1,059

183.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$2.67 ₱171

255.81%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.30 ₱83.1

131.54%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.58 ₱37.13

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.22 ₱14.03

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.00 ₱63.8

218.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$1.55 ₱99.0

270.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.57 ₱100

-3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.10 ₱70.4

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.01 ₱64.6

75.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.75 ₱112

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.10 ₱326

99.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.95 ₱189

234.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.61 ₱486

83.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.24 ₱143

77.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.52 ₱97.3

1.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.26 ₱144

-3.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.06 ₱67.4

105.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.65 ₱105

18.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.67 ₱107

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.60 ₱38.38

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.52 ₱33.50

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.18 ₱139

81.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.40 ₱537

62.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.97 ₱61.7

71.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.02 ₱129

11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.24 ₱15.22

387.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$11.16 ₱713

593.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.75 ₱48.08

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.24 ₱15.37

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.84 ₱117

364.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.03 ₱66.0

31.07%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

64.96%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

85.80%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$47.28 ₱3,021

258.82%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.49 ₱1,117

-22.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$22.85 ₱1,460

22.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.23 ₱1,996

39.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$5.61 ₱359

206.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.01 ₱320

37.92%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$65.6 ₱4,190

1114.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$10.7K ₱683.0K

-14.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$27.82 ₱1,778

204.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$19.07 ₱1,218

203.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$69.2 ₱4,422

94.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$55.8 ₱3,565

75.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$161 ₱10.3K

651.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$50.0 ₱3,197

1182.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$274 ₱17.5K

640.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$177 ₱11.3K

470.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,553 ₱163.1K

63.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,066 ₱68.1K

79.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$389 ₱24.9K

68.96%

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 Bataan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bataan

$50 10.3% 92.2% $591

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bataan

$168 34.7% 43.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bataan

$88 18.1% 58.5% $124

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bataan

$46 9.5% 73% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bataan

$77 16% 54.2% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bataan

$14 2.9% 85% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bataan

$41 8.5% 28.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $161 in Bataan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 69% 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: $47 in Medellin vs $17 in Bataan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $168 per month, with Bataan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Bataan

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

04:47 4:47 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

6,743

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bataan 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bataan

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 Bataan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bataan is about 70% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $161 in Bataan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bataan – a meal for two runs $17 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $484 in Bataan versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bataan but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bataan 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 Bataan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.