Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dipolog

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $776 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dipolog

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $776 in Dipolog, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Dipolog $776

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,132 in Dipolog, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Dipolog $1,132

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,488 in Dipolog, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Dipolog $1,488

Medellin costs about 118% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Dipolog is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$1.53 ₱97.2

445.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$19.22 ₱1,218

142.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$3.07 ₱195

208.47%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.55 ₱98.4

101.94%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.37 ₱23.73

378.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.23 ₱14.56

517.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.09 ₱69.2

188.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.56 ₱99.0

265.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.54 ₱97.6

-0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.81 ₱51.6

182.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.81 ₱51.0

139.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.95 ₱124

57.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$4.67 ₱296

113.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.57 ₱289

128.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$5.51 ₱349

153.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.54 ₱97.6

162.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.23 ₱78.1

24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$2.00 ₱127

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$0.93 ₱59.1

146.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.89 ₱119

11.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.56 ₱98.7

9.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.01 ₱64.1

15.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.60 ₱38.10

163.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.72 ₱172

43.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.04 ₱256

247.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.14 ₱72.3

54.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.59 ₱101

70.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.26 ₱16.25

353.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$14.55 ₱922

424.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$1.05 ₱66.3

72.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.20 ₱12.67

965.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$1.88 ₱119

332.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$0.85 ₱53.9

50.59%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

62.26%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

78.31%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$67.9 ₱4,302

161.75%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$8.09 ₱512

71.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$23.89 ₱1,514

28.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$31.96 ₱2,025

31.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.47 ₱347

36.56%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$297 ₱18.8K

165.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,827 ₱432.6K

80.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$51.0 ₱3,232

69.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$25.96 ₱1,645

128.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$79.1 ₱5,012

74.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$66.8 ₱4,231

47.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$413 ₱26.2K

224.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$311 ₱19.7K

114.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$762 ₱48.3K

159.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$483 ₱30.6K

113.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,505 ₱222.1K

16.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,701 ₱171.1K

-28.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$236 ₱14.9K

174.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

56.29%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dipolog: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Dipolog

$311 40.1% 53.3% $356

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Dipolog

$153 19.7% 50.3% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 55.1% $122

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Dipolog

$51 6.6% 70.4% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Dipolog

$100 12.9% 41.8% $72

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Dipolog

$18 2.3% 81.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Dipolog

$43 5.5% 24.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $413 in Dipolog. 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $19 in Dipolog. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $153 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

08:56 8:56 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

130,759

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Dipolog 17,340 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dipolog

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 Dipolog: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 118% more than Dipolog, 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,164 in Dipolog. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $297 in Dipolog. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 101% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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