Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Iligan City

For one person, living is cheaper in Iligan City: $739 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Iligan City
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Iligan City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Iligan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $739 in Iligan City, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Iligan City $739

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,126 in Iligan City, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Iligan City $1,126

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,514 in Iligan City, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Iligan City $1,514

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.99 ₱251

98.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$17.85 ₱1,124

158.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.74 ₱172

246.72%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.26 ₱142

37.61%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.67 ₱42.01

173.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.34 ₱21.15

305.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.13 ₱71.1

169.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.90 ₱120

189.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.05 ₱129

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.16 ₱72.8

103.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.90 ₱56.7

86.67%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.93 ₱121

48.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$5.66 ₱357

80.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.21 ₱265

126.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.26 ₱457

93.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.42 ₱153

68.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.54 ₱97.2

-2.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.34 ₱147

-7.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.17 ₱73.7

97.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.01 ₱126

-3.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.92 ₱121

-14.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.92 ₱57.8

22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.57 ₱35.82

119.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.97 ₱187

34.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$7.55 ₱476

76.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.96 ₱60.5

77.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.01 ₱126

17.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.26 ₱16.49

365.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$12.63 ₱795

505.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.85 ₱53.5

55.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.21 ₱13.33

919.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.01 ₱127

321.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.17 ₱73.6

11.11%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

32.24%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$16.8K ₱1.1M

110.77%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$129 ₱8,095

33.84%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$15.31 ₱964

-12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$24.12 ₱1,519

19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$31.95 ₱2,011

41.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$4.61 ₱290

269.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.14 ₱324

22.18%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$131 ₱8,241

488.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,881 ₱559.2K

1.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$33.30 ₱2,097

159.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$18.10 ₱1,139

215.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$70.2 ₱4,422

94.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$48.70 ₱3,066

101.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$111 ₱6,985

851.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$172 ₱10.8K

258.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$515 ₱32.4K

267.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$357 ₱22.5K

186.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,600 ₱163.7K

56.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$875 ₱55.1K

91.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$198 ₱12.5K

229.71%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Iligan City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Iligan City

$172 23.2% 72.1% $444

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Iligan City

$184 24.9% 37.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Iligan City

$168 22.7% 21.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Iligan City

$77 10.4% 54.9% $93

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Iligan City

$81 10.9% 52.1% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Iligan City

$16 2.1% 83.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Iligan City

$42 5.7% 27% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $111 in Iligan City. 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 230% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $18.00 in Iligan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $184 – making Iligan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Iligan City

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

342,618

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Iligan City 17,290 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $739 in Iligan City – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,108 in Iligan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 506% less in Iligan City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $770 per month in Medellin and $131 in Iligan City. 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 Iligan City, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Iligan City 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 Iligan City to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Iligan City. 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.