Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Calapan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $710 a month against $1,614 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
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
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Calapan City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $710 in Calapan City, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Calapan City $710

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,088 in Calapan City, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Calapan City $1,088

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,467 in Calapan City, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Calapan City $1,467

Medellin costs about 127% more than Calapan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Calapan City is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.01 ₱252

97.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$16.85 ₱1,061

173.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.83 ₱178

235.69%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.25 ₱142

38.22%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.61 ₱38.53

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.30 ₱19.15

360.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.13 ₱71.0

169.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.90 ₱120

189.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.69 ₱107

-14.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.15 ₱72.5

105.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.97 ₱61.1

73.20%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.92 ₱121

48.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.78 ₱301

113.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.23 ₱267

125.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.03 ₱442

99.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.34 ₱147

73.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.60 ₱101

-6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.36 ₱149

-8.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.14 ₱71.6

102.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.91 ₱120

1.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.95 ₱123

-15.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.99 ₱62.3

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.55 ₱34.62

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.99 ₱188

33.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.38 ₱464

80.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.95 ₱59.6

78.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.95 ₱123

21.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.24 ₱15.06

404.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$11.13 ₱701

587.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.79 ₱49.46

67.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.20 ₱12.48

970.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$1.94 ₱122

336.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.05 ₱66.3

23.81%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$23.0K ₱1.4M

21.77%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

88.73%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$121 ₱7,642

41.79%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.21 ₱895

-5.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$24.23 ₱1,525

18.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$32.71 ₱2,059

38.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$5.12 ₱323

232.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.07 ₱319

23.87%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$125 ₱7,875

515.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$7,935 ₱499.6K

13.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$32.35 ₱2,037

167.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$19.22 ₱1,210

197.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$69.8 ₱4,395

95.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$57.0 ₱3,589

71.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$232 ₱14.6K

355.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$156 ₱9,819

294.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$497 ₱31.3K

280.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$336 ₱21.1K

204.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,385 ₱150.2K

70.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,002 ₱63.1K

67.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$118 ₱7,460

450.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.79

61.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Calapan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Calapan City

$156 22% 74.7% $460

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Calapan City

$177 24.9% 40% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Calapan City

$160 22.5% 25.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Calapan City

$80 11.3% 52.8% $90

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Calapan City

$81 11.4% 52.1% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Calapan City

$14 2% 85.1% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Calapan City

$43 6% 25.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $232 in Calapan City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 451% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $17.00 in Calapan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $177 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🕒 Local time

19:19 7:19 PM

08:19 8:19 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

145,786

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Calapan City 17,150 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Calapan 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 Calapan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,065 in Calapan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calapan City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $17.00 in Calapan City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $710 in Calapan City. That's a gap of about 127%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calapan City, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Calapan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Calapan City. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.