Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bayawan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayawan City: $742 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Bayawan City
Learn more

Bayawan City Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bayawan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bayawan City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $742 in Bayawan City.

Medellin $1,639
Bayawan City $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,154 in Bayawan City.

Medellin $2,413
Bayawan City $1,154

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,566 in Bayawan City.

Medellin $3,186
Bayawan City $1,566

Living in Medellin is roughly 121% more expensive than in Bayawan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bayawan City is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$4.00 ₱255

102.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 149.0K

$23.86 ₱1,523

97.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$3.85 ₱246

146.75%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,550

$2.50 ₱160

20.40%

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

$1.80 COP 5,699

$0.67 ₱42.83

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,474

$0.46 ₱29.47

206.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.1K

$1.69 ₱108

88.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.14 ₱137

168.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,783

$1.68 ₱107

-10.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,532

$1.10 ₱70.1

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,611

$0.66 ₱41.86

168.18%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,155

$2.00 ₱128

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$9.65 ₱616

5.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.3K

$4.47 ₱285

120.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.58 ₱484

84.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.20 ₱204

24.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,916

$1.32 ₱84.2

17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,914

$2.32 ₱148

-6.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,917

$1.44 ₱91.7

51.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,217

$2.41 ₱154

-18.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,034

$1.95 ₱125

-18.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,628

$1.10 ₱70.3

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,938

$0.63 ₱40.54

96.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.6K

$2.90 ₱185

36.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$4.71 ₱300

190.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,257

$0.81 ₱51.8

104.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,152

$1.72 ₱110

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,699

$0.22 ₱14.00

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 245.1K

$13.28 ₱848

482.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,017

$0.79 ₱50.4

60.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,486

$0.20 ₱12.76

925.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$1.89 ₱121

352.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,266

$1.11 ₱70.8

21.62%

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

$34.1K COP 107.9M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

60.45%

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

$34.7K COP 109.8M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

85.06%

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

$170 COP 537.4K

$121 ₱7,715

40.40%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$15.30 ₱977

-11.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.9K

$27.60 ₱1,762

1.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.4K

$27.62 ₱1,764

58.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$5.26 ₱336

226.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$1.52 ₱96.8

354.61%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$128 ₱8,157

523.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.9M

$7,767 ₱495.9K

17.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.3K

$32.67 ₱2,086

159.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.6K

$19.05 ₱1,217

204.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.5K

$74.5 ₱4,755

81.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.0K

$57.7 ₱3,686

69.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$216 ₱13.8K

458.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$166 ₱10.6K

287.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$473 ₱30.2K

328.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$348 ₱22.2K

191.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,998 ₱191.4K

39.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.1M

$1,023 ₱65.3K

86.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$111 ₱7,087

492.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.2

51.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bayawan City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bayawan City

$166 22.3% 74.2% $476

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bayawan City

$193 26% 35.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bayawan City

$164 22.1% 22.5% $48

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bayawan City

$91 12.2% 46.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bayawan City

$83 11.2% 51% $86

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bayawan City

$16 2.2% 83% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bayawan City

$31 4.1% 46.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $216 in Bayawan City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 5.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $24 in Bayawan City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $193 per month, with Bayawan City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Bayawan City

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

122,747

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bayawan City 17,330 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bayawan City

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 Bayawan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $742 in Bayawan City, so Bayawan City is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 5.9 times higher, 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 $216 in Bayawan City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayawan City – a meal for two runs $24 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $742 in Bayawan City versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayawan City but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bayawan City 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 Bayawan City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.