Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Batangas

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $620 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Batangas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $620 in Batangas.

Medellin $1,614
Batangas $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $901 in Batangas.

Medellin $2,402
Batangas $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,183 in Batangas.

Medellin $3,190
Batangas $1,183

Living in Medellin is roughly 160% more expensive than in Batangas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Batangas is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$2.13 ₱134

272.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$19.25 ₱1,212

139.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.67 ₱168

255.81%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.10 ₱132

48.10%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.39 ₱24.34

369.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.27 ₱16.86

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.08 ₱67.8

182.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.42 ₱89.6

287.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.72 ₱108

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.13 ₱71.4

108.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.76 ₱48.09

121.05%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.64 ₱103

74.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$5.53 ₱348

84.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.22 ₱266

125.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$6.90 ₱434

103.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.41 ₱152

68.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.42 ₱89.2

5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.34 ₱147

-7.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.13 ₱71.2

104.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.33 ₱146

-17.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$3.38 ₱213

-51.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.30 ₱81.8

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.97 ₱61.2

28.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.49 ₱157

60.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.46 ₱470

78.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.32 ₱83.4

28.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.78 ₱112

33.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.66 ₱41.44

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.84 ₱52.8

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.21 ₱13.20

919.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.60 ₱164

225.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.03 ₱64.8

26.21%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

30.04%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

88.41%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$165 ₱10.4K

4.37%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.40 ₱907

-7.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$23.88 ₱1,503

20.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$18.88 ₱1,189

139.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$12.62 ₱795

35.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.66 ₱356

10.95%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$73.0 ₱4,598

954.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$1,264 ₱79.6K

612.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$15.87 ₱999

444.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$22.72 ₱1,431

151.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$55.8 ₱3,510

144.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$39.47 ₱2,485

148.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$72.7 ₱4,576

747.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$158 ₱9,979

1093.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$95.2 ₱5,992

974.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,511 ₱158.1K

61.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,631 ₱102.7K

2.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$186 ₱11.7K

250.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

56.29%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Batangas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Batangas

$73 11.7% 88.2% $543

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Batangas

$188 30.3% 36.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Batangas

$203 32.8% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Batangas

$60 9.7% 64.6% $110

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Batangas

$61 9.9% 63.7% $107

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Batangas

$4.5 * 0.7% 95.2% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Batangas

$30 4.9% 47.8% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 251% 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: $46.00 in Medellin vs $19.00 in Batangas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $188 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Batangas

🕒 Local time

15:49 3:49 PM

04:49 4:49 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

329,874

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Batangas 17,130 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Batangas

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 Batangas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Batangas differ by about 160% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $620 including rent). Batangas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 251% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $620 in Batangas – a 160% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $620 in Batangas versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Batangas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Batangas 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Batangas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Batangas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 160% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.