Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cotabato City

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $738 a month against $1,639 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 Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $738 in Cotabato City.

Medellin $1,639
Cotabato City $738

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,139 in Cotabato City.

Medellin $2,413
Cotabato City $1,139

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,539 in Cotabato City.

Medellin $3,186
Cotabato City $1,539

Living in Medellin is roughly 122% more expensive than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cotabato City is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.81 ₱307

68.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$16.14 ₱1,031

191.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$3.97 ₱254

139.29%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.17 ₱139

38.71%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.06 ₱67.6

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.62 ₱39.75

127.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.14 ₱73.1

178.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.08 ₱133

176.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$2.01 ₱128

-24.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.08 ₱68.8

120.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.75 ₱48.19

136.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.90 ₱121

52.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.44 ₱411

58.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.59 ₱293

115.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.44 ₱603

48.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.76 ₱176

43.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.10 ₱70.0

40.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.40 ₱153

-9.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.17 ₱74.7

86.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.97 ₱126

-0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.30 ₱211

-51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.24 ₱78.9

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.66 ₱42.15

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.40 ₱154

65.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.03 ₱513

70.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.27 ₱80.9

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.64 ₱105

37.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.22 ₱13.98

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$11.32 ₱723

583.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.76 ₱48.30

67.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.22 ₱13.97

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.85 ₱118

362.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.10 ₱70.2

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

63.63%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

84.74%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$108 ₱6,875

57.67%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.43 ₱1,178

-26.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$30.97 ₱1,978

-9.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$30.96 ₱1,978

41.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$5.25 ₱335

227.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.73 ₱302

46.09%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$105 ₱6,684

661.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,282 ₱465.3K

25.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$32.48 ₱2,075

160.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$19.49 ₱1,246

197.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$69.5 ₱4,438

94.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$60.5 ₱3,862

61.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$224 ₱14.3K

438.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$153 ₱9,753

320.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$447 ₱28.6K

353.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$333 ₱21.3K

203.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,692 ₱172.0K

54.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,003 ₱64.1K

90.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.31

31.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cotabato City

$153 20.7% 76.2% $489

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cotabato City

$199 26.9% 33% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cotabato City

$157 21.3% 25.7% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cotabato City

$93 12.6% 45.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cotabato City

$82 11.1% 51.6% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cotabato City

$14 1.9% 85% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cotabato City

$40 5.5% 29.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $224 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $16 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $199 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

07:47 7:47 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

325,079

💱 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 = 3,502 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 = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cotabato City 17,350 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,107 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $224 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $738 in Cotabato City – Cotabato City is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 85% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.