Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lipa

For one person, living is cheaper in Lipa: $596 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Lipa
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Lipa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Lipa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lipa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $596 in Lipa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Lipa $596

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $924 in Lipa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Lipa $924

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,252 in Lipa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Lipa $1,252

Medellin costs about 175% more than Lipa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Lipa is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.12 ₱199

159.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$15.87 ₱1,011

196.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.78 ₱177

241.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.83 ₱117

64.48%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.42 ₱26.58

328.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.31 ₱19.52

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.02 ₱65.2

211.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.52 ₱96.8

278.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.51 ₱96.4

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.10 ₱70.1

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.83 ₱52.6

113.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.72 ₱109

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.13 ₱327

98.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.26 ₱208

202.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.81 ₱498

79.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.28 ₱145

74.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.57 ₱99.7

-1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.28 ₱145

-4.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.01 ₱64.3

115.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.67 ₱106

17.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.70 ₱109

-6.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.60 ₱38.36

91.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.49 ₱31.10

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.91 ₱186

36.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.39 ₱534

63.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.89 ₱56.9

86.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.94 ₱124

16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.27 ₱17.23

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$4.80 ₱306

1511.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.68 ₱43.28

86.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.24 ₱15.33

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.87 ₱119

357.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.10 ₱69.9

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$20.8K ₱1.3M

63.71%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$15.4K ₱982.6K

124.74%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$135 ₱8,605

25.57%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$17.10 ₱1,089

-20.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$22.80 ₱1,452

23.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$31.49 ₱2,005

38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$3.83 ₱244

348.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.06 ₱322

36.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$132 ₱8,375

505.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.6K ₱675.9K

-14.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$28.79 ₱1,834

194.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$19.29 ₱1,228

200.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$71.7 ₱4,565

88.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$55.7 ₱3,545

75.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$79.1 ₱5,039

1426.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$58.6 ₱3,729

995.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$241 ₱15.4K

740.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$177 ₱11.3K

472.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$222 ₱14.1K

196.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

82.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lipa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Lipa

$59 9.8% 90.9% $583

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Lipa

$168 28.2% 43.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Lipa

$175 29.3% 17.2% $36

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Lipa

$66 11.1% 60.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Lipa

$79 13.2% 53.3% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Lipa

$7.8 1.3% 91.7% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Lipa

$42 7% 27.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $79 in Lipa. 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 3 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 Lipa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $168 – making Lipa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Lipa

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

17:37 5:37 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

332,386

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Lipa 17,100 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lipa

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 Lipa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $596 in Lipa – Lipa comes out roughly 64% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $894 in Lipa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lipa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $79 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Lipa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $132 in Lipa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lipa, where all-in costs run around $596, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Lipa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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