Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Caloocan

For one person, living is cheaper in Caloocan: $496 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Caloocan
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Caloocan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Caloocan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Caloocan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $496 in Caloocan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Caloocan $496

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $665 in Caloocan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Caloocan $665

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $834 in Caloocan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Caloocan $834

Medellin costs about 231% more than Caloocan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Caloocan is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.70 ₱172

199.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$16.45 ₱1,048

186.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$2.26 ₱144

320.35%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$0.84 ₱53.3

258.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.39 ₱25.07

361.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.32 ₱20.70

340.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.01 ₱64.3

214.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$1.59 ₱101

261.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.65 ₱105

-8.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.11 ₱70.7

114.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.99 ₱63.1

78.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.79 ₱114

61.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.93 ₱314

106.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.32 ₱212

197.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.69 ₱490

81.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.23 ₱142

78.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.97 ₱61.5

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.34 ₱149

-6.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.04 ₱66.6

109.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.06 ₱67.8

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.77 ₱113

-10.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.65 ₱41.39

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.46 ₱29.15

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.82 ₱180

40.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$4.82 ₱307

183.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.96 ₱61.2

72.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.02 ₱129

11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.20 ₱12.69

485.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.77 ₱49.01

64.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.22 ₱13.97

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.85 ₱118

362.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.07 ₱68.0

26.17%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$21.4K ₱1.4M

59.49%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

80.85%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$53.6 ₱3,416

216.51%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$9.42 ₱600

43.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$22.59 ₱1,439

24.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$4.82 ₱307

806.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.12 ₱326

34.96%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$130 ₱8,279

513.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.6K ₱673.2K

-13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$28.20 ₱1,797

200.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$19.52 ₱1,244

196.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$53.9 ₱3,432

150.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$47.64 ₱3,035

105.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$209 ₱13.3K

478.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$118 ₱7,491

445.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$307 ₱19.6K

113.95%

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 Caloocan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Caloocan

$118 23.7% 81.7% $524

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Caloocan

$158 31.9% 46.8% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Caloocan

$86 17.3% 59.5% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Caloocan

$50 10% 70.8% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Caloocan

$67 13.6% 60.3% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Caloocan

$2.7 * 0.5% 97.2% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Caloocan

$15 3% 73.8% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $209 in Caloocan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Caloocan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $158 – making Caloocan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Caloocan

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

07:23 7:23 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,661,584

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 63.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.15 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Caloocan 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Caloocan

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 Caloocan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 231% more than Caloocan, 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 $2,459 per month in Medellin and $743 in Caloocan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caloocan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Caloocan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Caloocan, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Caloocan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caloocan – 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 Caloocan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.