Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Davao

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Davao
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Davao Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Davao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Davao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $839 in Davao.

Medellin $1,639
Davao $839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,275 in Davao.

Medellin $2,413
Davao $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,712 in Davao.

Medellin $3,186
Davao $1,712

Living in Medellin is roughly 95% more expensive than in Davao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Davao is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.71 ₱300

71.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$26.33 ₱1,677

78.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.83 ₱244

148.04%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.53 ₱161

18.97%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.06 ₱67.5

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.62 ₱39.75

127.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.53 ₱97.3

107.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.38 ₱151

141.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.96 ₱125

-22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.07 ₱68.2

122.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.91 ₱58.1

94.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.84 ₱117

57.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.41 ₱408

58.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.59 ₱293

115.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$8.97 ₱572

55.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.68 ₱171

48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.06 ₱67.5

46.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.43 ₱155

-10.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.14 ₱72.5

91.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.99 ₱126

-1.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$3.35 ₱214

-52.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.24 ₱78.9

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.71 ₱45.16

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.46 ₱157

60.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.99 ₱509

71.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.27 ₱80.7

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.58 ₱101

43.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.21 ₱13.37

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$13.16 ₱838

487.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.81 ₱51.5

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.24 ₱15.37

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.83 ₱117

367.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.22 ₱77.4

10.66%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

59.66%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

82.04%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$105 ₱6,681

61.73%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$19.14 ₱1,219

-29.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.17 ₱1,921

-6.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$34.37 ₱2,189

27.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$3.44 ₱219

399.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.75 ₱303

45.47%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$104 ₱6,643

663.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,536 ₱480.0K

20.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$61.0 ₱3,888

38.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$30.74 ₱1,958

88.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$69.7 ₱4,438

93.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$60.1 ₱3,827

62.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$350 ₱22.3K

245.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$229 ₱14.6K

180.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$723 ₱46.0K

180.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$404 ₱25.7K

150.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,584 ₱100.9K

163.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,364 ₱86.9K

40.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$207 ₱13.2K

217.37%

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 Davao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Davao

$229 27.3% 64.3% $412

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Davao

$197 23.5% 33.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Davao

$154 18.4% 27% $57

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Davao

$99 11.8% 41.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Davao

$100 11.9% 41% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Davao

$16 1.9% 82.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Davao

$44 5.2% 23.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $350 in Davao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $26 in Davao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $197 per month, with Davao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Davao

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

11:37 11:37 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,632,991

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Davao 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Davao

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 Davao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Davao is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 3.2 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 $350 in Davao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Davao – a meal for two runs $26 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $839 in Davao – Davao is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $839 in Davao versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Davao but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Davao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Davao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Davao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.