Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and El Nido

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in El Nido

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $739 in El Nido, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
El Nido $739

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,148 in El Nido, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
El Nido $1,148

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,557 in El Nido, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
El Nido $1,557

Medellin costs about 120% more than El Nido, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while El Nido is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$4.84 ₱305

71.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$28.13 ₱1,771

66.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$3.70 ₱233

149.73%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.25 ₱142

35.56%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.17 ₱73.8

53.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.32 ₱20.45

331.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.30 ₱81.8

149.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.99 ₱125

179.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.59 ₱100

-5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.00 ₱63.1

137.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.29 ₱81.4

31.78%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.95 ₱123

51.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$5.33 ₱336

91.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$3.98 ₱250

144.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$6.98 ₱439

99.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.25 ₱142

83.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.54 ₱97.1

-0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.26 ₱142

-1.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.16 ₱72.8

95.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.95 ₱123

2.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$2.01 ₱127

-16.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.92 ₱58.0

28.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.53 ₱33.65

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$3.35 ₱211

15.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.24 ₱456

90.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.00 ₱62.9

66.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.87 ₱118

28.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.24 ₱15.07

416.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$10.28 ₱648

660.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.85 ₱53.8

50.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.20 ₱12.47

975.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.72 ₱108

386.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.31 ₱82.3

3.05%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

81.23%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

60.61%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$121 ₱7,638

37.38%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$14.38 ₱906

-5.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$24.44 ₱1,539

19.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$34.90 ₱2,197

29.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$3.99 ₱251

330.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.23 ₱329

33.27%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$124 ₱7,818

536.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$6,869 ₱432.4K

31.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$33.86 ₱2,132

159.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$18.81 ₱1,185

209.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$66.9 ₱4,211

107.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$49.95 ₱3,145

97.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$269 ₱17.0K

281.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$177 ₱11.2K

249.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$535 ₱33.7K

251.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$358 ₱22.5K

181.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,607 ₱164.1K

52.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$900 ₱56.7K

89.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$257 ₱16.2K

158.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.79

61.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for El Nido: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

El Nido

$177 24% 71.4% $442

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

El Nido

$174 23.6% 41.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

El Nido

$160 21.7% 23.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

El Nido

$76 10.3% 55.8% $96

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

El Nido

$93 12.6% 45.4% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

El Nido

$13 1.8% 86.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

El Nido

$45 6.1% 23.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $269 in El Nido. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 158% higher in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $28.00 in El Nido. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $174 – making El Nido the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 El Nido

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

02:01 2:01 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

50,494

💱 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 El Nido 17,460 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
El Nido

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 El Nido: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $739 in El Nido – roughly 120% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,109 in El Nido. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Nido, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 661% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $124 in El Nido. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Medellin at $1,625. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $739 in El Nido to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with El Nido. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.