Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $915 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
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Boracay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Boracay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $915 in Boracay.

Medellin $1,639
Boracay $915

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,349 in Boracay.

Medellin $2,413
Boracay $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,783 in Boracay.

Medellin $3,186
Boracay $1,783

Living in Medellin is roughly 79% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Boracay is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.31 ₱339

52.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$18.68 ₱1,193

151.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$5.97 ₱381

59.13%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.32 ₱148

29.74%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.69 ₱44.12

160.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.22 ₱14.01

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.19 ₱76.1

167.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.01 ₱129

186.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.93 ₱187

-48.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.27 ₱81.4

87.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.90 ₱57.4

96.67%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.89 ₱121

52.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.04 ₱322

102.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.89 ₱248

153.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.49 ₱414

115.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.29 ₱146

73.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.50 ₱96.0

3.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.03 ₱130

7.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.29 ₱82.2

68.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.19 ₱140

-10.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.14 ₱137

-25.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.92 ₱58.6

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.59 ₱37.42

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.29 ₱147

72.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.61 ₱486

79.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.90 ₱57.2

84.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.97 ₱126

14.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.22 ₱14.04

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$10.67 ₱682

625.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.66 ₱42.39

92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.24 ₱15.22

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.76 ₱113

385.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.10 ₱70.3

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.9K ₱1.5M

48.79%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$20.3K ₱1.3M

70.95%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$109 ₱6,934

56.32%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$15.54 ₱993

-12.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$33.36 ₱2,131

-15.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$33.49 ₱2,140

30.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$4.90 ₱313

250.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.21 ₱333

32.63%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$141 ₱8,983

466.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,871 ₱502.9K

15.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$27.63 ₱1,766

206.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$18.45 ₱1,179

214.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$67.3 ₱4,298

100.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$51.7 ₱3,304

89.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$248 ₱15.8K

387.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$337 ₱21.5K

90.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$489 ₱31.2K

314.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$589 ₱37.6K

71.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,586 ₱165.2K

61.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,129 ₱72.1K

69.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$230 ₱14.7K

185.63%

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 Boracay: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Boracay

$337 36.8% 47.5% $304

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Boracay

$187 20.5% 36.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Boracay

$157 17.2% 25.5% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Boracay

$102 11.1% 40% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Boracay

$74 8.1% 56% $95

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Boracay

$13 1.5% 85.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Boracay

$44 4.8% 23.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $248 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $19 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $187 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,296

💱 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 = 3,501 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 = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Boracay 17,210 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Boracay differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,639 vs $915 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.9 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 $248 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $915 in Boracay versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.