Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dasmarinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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 Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dasmarinas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,625 in Medellin versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Medellin $1,625
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,412 in Medellin versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Medellin $2,412
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,199 in Medellin versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Medellin $3,199
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Medellin is roughly 228% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Dasmarinas is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$4.08 ₱257

103.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$16.95 ₱1,067

176.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$2.71 ₱171

240.96%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.75 ₱110

74.29%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.57 ₱35.76

215.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.31 ₱19.30

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.96 ₱60.1

237.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.58 ₱99.4

251.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.39 ₱87.5

7.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.10 ₱69.5

115.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.66 ₱41.36

157.58%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.79 ₱113

65.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$4.94 ₱311

106.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.49 ₱219

179.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$4.72 ₱297

194.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.26 ₱143

82.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.61 ₱102

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.38 ₱150

-6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.07 ₱67.3

112.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.75 ₱110

13.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.72 ₱108

-2.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.61 ₱38.39

93.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.52 ₱32.54

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.88 ₱181

34.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$8.59 ₱541

60.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.93 ₱58.5

78.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.99 ₱125

20.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.78 ₱48.96

64.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.25 ₱15.76

760.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.85 ₱117

352.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.11 ₱70.1

21.62%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

62.52%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

83.45%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$48.45 ₱3,050

243.96%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$17.55 ₱1,105

-22.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$23.72 ₱1,494

22.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$33.43 ₱2,105

34.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.30 ₱334

31.51%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$134 ₱8,415

491.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$10.7K ₱674.0K

-15.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$28.53 ₱1,796

207.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$19.55 ₱1,231

197.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.5 ₱4,561

91.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$56.4 ₱3,552

75.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$46.95 ₱2,956

1219.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$353 ₱22.2K

88.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.4

70.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 92.4% $573

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 46.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 57.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 53.9% $93

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 57.1% $98

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 97.9% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 25.4% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 88% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

17:13 5:13 PM

06:13 6:13 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

659,019

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Dasmarinas 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Dasmarinas differ by about 228% in total monthly costs ($1,625 vs $496 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 88% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $134 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $47.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $1,625 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas 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.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Dasmarinas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 228% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.