Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $717 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $717 in Laoag City, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Laoag City $717

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,117 in Laoag City, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Laoag City $1,117

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,517 in Laoag City, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Laoag City $1,517

Medellin costs about 129% more than Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Laoag City is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.30 ₱273

88.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$16.20 ₱1,027

190.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.69 ₱171

253.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$2.44 ₱155

23.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$0.68 ₱43.18

164.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.31 ₱19.85

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$1.00 ₱63.5

218.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.89 ₱120

204.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.60 ₱101

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.14 ₱72.5

108.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$0.89 ₱56.1

98.88%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$1.86 ₱118

55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.02 ₱381

69.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.03 ₱256

144.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.07 ₱448

97.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.29 ₱145

73.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$1.59 ₱101

-2.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$2.38 ₱151

-8.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.10 ₱69.5

98.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$2.18 ₱138

-10.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$2.20 ₱139

-27.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.02 ₱64.7

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.52 ₱33.21

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.97 ₱188

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.49 ₱475

82.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$0.93 ₱59.1

78.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$1.85 ₱117

22.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

$0.24 ₱15.20

387.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

$12.87 ₱816

501.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$0.75 ₱47.49

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$0.21 ₱13.29

876.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.94 ₱123

340.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.94 ₱59.6

43.62%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

63.36%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

82.43%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$109 ₱6,907

55.67%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$17.25 ₱1,094

-21.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$23.88 ₱1,513

17.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

$31.78 ₱2,014

37.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$4.53 ₱287

279.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.97 ₱315

39.03%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$132 ₱8,372

503.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,581 ₱543.9K

6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$33.12 ₱2,099

155.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$19.34 ₱1,226

199.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$70.9 ₱4,494

90.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$54.3 ₱3,439

80.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$214 ₱13.5K

465.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$167 ₱10.6K

285.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$484 ₱30.7K

318.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$383 ₱24.3K

164.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,667 ₱169.1K

56.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$977 ₱61.9K

95.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$155 ₱9,834

323.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.92

58.09%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Laoag City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Laoag City

$167 23.2% 74% $475

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Laoag City

$178 24.9% 39.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Laoag City

$150 20.9% 29% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Laoag City

$85 11.8% 50.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Laoag City

$80 11.2% 52.7% $89

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Laoag City

$16 2.2% 83.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Laoag City

$42 5.8% 27.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $214 in Laoag City. 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 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Laoag City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $178 – making Laoag City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

16:58 4:58 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

112,117

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Laoag City 16,770 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Medellin costs about 129% more than Laoag City, 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 $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,075 in Laoag City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laoag City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $214 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $717 in Laoag City. That makes Laoag City about 56% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Laoag City. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Laoag City, where all-in costs run around $717, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Laoag City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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