Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bulacan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $628 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bulacan

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $628 in Bulacan, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Bulacan $628

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $904 in Bulacan, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Bulacan $904

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,180 in Bulacan, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Bulacan $1,180

Medellin costs about 169% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Bulacan is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$2.34 ₱149

256.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$14.45 ₱918

222.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$1.85 ₱117

411.89%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.70 ₱108

84.12%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.45 ₱28.56

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.15 ₱9.60

846.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.13 ₱72.1

178.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.31 ₱83.2

335.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.40 ₱88.8

9.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.09 ₱69.3

110.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$0.90 ₱57.3

115.56%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.53 ₱97.4

100.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$2.36 ₱150

323.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.16 ₱201

230.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$6.63 ₱422

110.56%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.18 ₱139

85.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.70 ₱108

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$2.22 ₱141

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.27 ₱80.9

80.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.55 ₱98.7

36.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.76 ₱112

-2.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.61 ₱38.83

91.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.35 ₱22.28

351.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.82 ₱243

2.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$3.48 ₱221

303.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.01 ₱64.3

74.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.37 ₱87.0

97.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.20 ₱12.79

490.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$6.73 ₱428

1033.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.73 ₱46.47

147.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.18 ₱11.14

1083.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$1.84 ₱117

341.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.20 ₱76.6

6.67%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

64.83%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

75.00%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$115 ₱7,303

54.74%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$17.51 ₱1,114

-20.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$31.15 ₱1,980

-1.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$47.30 ₱3,007

-11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.82 ₱306

54.98%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$78.2 ₱4,971

910.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$932 ₱59.3K

1219.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$30.99 ₱1,970

178.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$32.20 ₱2,047

84.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$62.4 ₱3,968

121.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$62.6 ₱3,978

57.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$181 ₱11.5K

640.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$116 ₱7,351

477.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$252 ₱16.0K

685.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$155 ₱9,869

565.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bulacan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bulacan

$116 18.4% 82.7% $552

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bulacan

$143 22.8% 53.4% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bulacan

$164 26% 26.5% $59

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bulacan

$55 8.8% 68% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bulacan

$85 13.5% 50.8% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bulacan

$9.1 1.5% 90.2% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bulacan

$57 9.1% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $181 in Bulacan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $14 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $143 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

07:42 7:42 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,700,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bulacan 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 169% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $943 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bulacan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $181 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $628 in Bulacan. That makes Bulacan about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 91% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bulacan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Bulacan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.