Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cagayan de Oro City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $801 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
Learn more

Cagayan de Oro City Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$801

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $801 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Medellin $1,639
Cagayan de Oro City $801

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,142 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Medellin $2,413
Cagayan de Oro City $1,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,484 in Cagayan de Oro City.

Medellin $3,186
Cagayan de Oro City $1,484

Living in Medellin is roughly 105% more expensive than in Cagayan de Oro City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cagayan de Oro City is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.52 ₱224

129.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$12.33 ₱786

281.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.89 ₱184

228.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.26 ₱144

33.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.69 ₱43.93

160.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.66 ₱42.31

113.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.33 ₱84.7

139.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.00 ₱127

187.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.44 ₱91.7

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.89 ₱56.4

167.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.91 ₱57.7

94.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.06 ₱131

40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.08 ₱515

26.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.25 ₱207

203.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.77 ₱368

142.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.13 ₱136

86.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.05 ₱67.1

47.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.30 ₱146

-5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.12 ₱71.4

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.97 ₱126

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.57 ₱164

-38.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.76 ₱48.37

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.47 ₱30.23

163.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.92 ₱186

35.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$3.93 ₱251

248.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.26 ₱80.4

31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.92 ₱122

17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.29 ₱18.27

303.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$11.49 ₱732

573.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.62 ₱39.29

104.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.22 ₱14.04

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.90 ₱121

350.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.01 ₱64.6

33.66%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

63.35%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

81.19%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$131 ₱8,367

29.14%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$22.03 ₱1,403

-38.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.16 ₱1,921

-6.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$24.12 ₱1,536

81.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$2.80 ₱178

513.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.35 ₱277

58.85%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$64.3 ₱4,098

1138.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,231 ₱142.1K

308.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$31.70 ₱2,019

167.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$13.22 ₱842

338.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$50.4 ₱3,210

167.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$39.53 ₱2,518

147.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$424 ₱27.0K

184.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$267 ₱17.0K

140.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$667 ₱42.5K

203.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$441 ₱28.1K

129.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,562 ₱99.5K

167.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$955 ₱60.9K

99.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$307 ₱19.6K

114.07%

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 Cagayan de Oro City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cagayan de Oro City

$267 33.3% 58.4% $375

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cagayan de Oro City

$162 20.3% 45.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cagayan de Oro City

$184 22.9% 13.1% $28

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cagayan de Oro City

$80 10% 52.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cagayan de Oro City

$61 7.6% 64.1% $108

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cagayan de Oro City

$14 1.8% 84.6% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cagayan de Oro City

$33 4.1% 43% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $424 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $12 in Cagayan de Oro City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $162 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

17:51 5:51 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

728,402

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cagayan de Oro City 17,240 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $801 in Cagayan de Oro City, so Cagayan de Oro City is about 51% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.1 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 $424 in Cagayan de Oro City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $12 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $801 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro 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 Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.