Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ligao City

For one person, living is cheaper in Ligao City: $726 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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 Ligao City
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Ligao City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ligao City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $726 in Ligao City, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ligao City $726

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,106 in Ligao City, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ligao City $1,106

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,486 in Ligao City, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ligao City $1,486

Medellin costs about 126% more than Ligao City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.43 ₱283

82.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$16.56 ₱1,058

184.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$2.81 ₱180

238.08%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.20 ₱140

36.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.64 ₱40.92

181.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.33 ₱20.83

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.18 ₱75.6

169.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.09 ₱134

175.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.61 ₱103

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.14 ₱72.6

108.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.91 ₱57.9

94.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.83 ₱117

57.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.54 ₱354

83.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.17 ₱267

136.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.84 ₱437

104.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.41 ₱154

64.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.58 ₱101

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.31 ₱148

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.12 ₱71.4

94.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.08 ₱133

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.18 ₱139

-27.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.09 ₱69.5

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.54 ₱34.74

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.87 ₱184

37.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.49 ₱479

82.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.94 ₱59.9

76.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.92 ₱122

17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.25 ₱16.24

368.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$13.54 ₱865

471.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.71 ₱45.17

78.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.19 ₱12.20

978.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.81 ₱116

372.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.18 ₱75.3

14.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$22.7K ₱1.4M

50.27%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.1K ₱1.4M

63.98%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$121 ₱7,742

40.01%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$13.23 ₱845

2.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$24.19 ₱1,546

16.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.79 ₱2,031

37.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$5.13 ₱328

235.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.06 ₱323

36.56%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$129 ₱8,253

516.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,910 ₱505.4K

15.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$32.79 ₱2,095

158.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$18.91 ₱1,208

206.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$70.6 ₱4,510

91.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$54.0 ₱3,448

81.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$253 ₱16.1K

378.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$168 ₱10.7K

282.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$496 ₱31.7K

308.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$347 ₱22.2K

191.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,649 ₱169.3K

57.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,130 ₱72.2K

69.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$266 ₱17.0K

147.05%

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 Ligao City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ligao City

$168 23.1% 73.9% $474

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ligao City

$178 24.5% 40.1% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ligao City

$159 21.9% 24.9% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ligao City

$84 11.6% 50.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ligao City

$79 10.9% 53.1% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ligao City

$16 2.2% 82.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ligao City

$42 5.8% 27.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $253 in Ligao 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $17 in Ligao City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $178 – making Ligao City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Ligao City

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

04:01 4:01 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

3,955

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ligao City 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 126%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,089 in Ligao City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ligao City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $17 in Ligao City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ligao City, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ligao City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ligao 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 Ligao 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.