Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Makati

For one person, living is cheaper in Makati: $1,257 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Makati
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Makati Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Makati

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,257

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Makati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,257 in Makati.

Medellin $1,589
Makati $1,257

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $2,052 in Makati.

Medellin $2,364
Makati $2,052

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $2,847 in Makati.

Medellin $3,139
Makati $2,847

Living in Medellin is roughly 26% more expensive than in Makati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 19% above, Makati is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.8K

$6.56 ₱412

22.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 149.9K

$40.13 ₱2,524

16.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.4K

$4.75 ₱299

98.53%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,374

$2.65 ₱166

9.81%

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

$1.75 COP 5,643

$1.08 ₱67.8

62.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,263

$0.50 ₱31.56

164.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.44 ₱153

28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.9K

$3.10 ₱195

79.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,542

$1.83 ₱115

-22.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,858

$1.24 ₱77.9

96.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,245

$1.01 ₱63.7

61.39%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 9,084

$2.37 ₱149

18.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 31.2K

$7.35 ₱462

31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 30.0K

$4.91 ₱309

89.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 43.3K

$6.81 ₱429

97.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.9K

$4.09 ₱257

-2.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,768

$2.00 ₱126

-26.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,839

$3.27 ₱206

-35.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,253

$2.29 ₱144

-1.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,155

$3.59 ₱226

-46.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,214

$3.45 ₱217

-53.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.07 ₱67.2

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,063

$1.11 ₱69.9

13.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.3K

$2.66 ₱167

43.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 42.2K

$8.01 ₱504

63.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,136

$1.35 ₱84.7

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,263

$1.98 ₱125

14.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.99 ₱62.0

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 241.5K

$57.4 ₱3,609

30.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,098

$0.66 ₱41.50

92.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,600

$0.23 ₱14.50

791.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.4K

$1.88 ₱118

336.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,088

$1.26 ₱79.2

0.79%

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

$26.8K COP 86.2M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

24.70%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$19.8K ₱1.2M

73.71%

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

$162 COP 522.3K

$155 ₱9,752

4.60%

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

$13.12 COP 42.3K

$15.90 ₱1,000

-17.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 90.5K

$32.67 ₱2,055

-14.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 142.7K

$55.4 ₱3,482

-19.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.6K

$14.51 ₱913

12.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.6K

$6.98 ₱439

-12.75%

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

$764 COP 2.5M

$783 ₱49.2K

-2.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.7M

$7,340 ₱461.6K

21.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 273.6K

$59.6 ₱3,748

42.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 185.1K

$37.48 ₱2,357

53.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 424.2K

$82.5 ₱5,185

59.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 308.3K

$102 ₱6,400

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$828 ₱52.1K

24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$416 ₱26.2K

45.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.8M

$2,318 ₱145.8K

-22.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,067 ₱67.1K

-6.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.6M

$6,082 ₱382.5K

-35.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.3M

$3,765 ₱236.8K

-56.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$616 ₱38.7K

1.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.5

45.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Makati: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Makati

$416 33.8% 31.1% $188

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Makati

$230 18.7% 20.2% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Makati

$204 16.5% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Makati

$127 10.3% 24% $40

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Makati

$123 10% 25.9% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Makati

$63 5.1% 30.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Makati

$69 5.6% 22.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $828 in Makati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $40.00 in Makati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $230 per month, with Makati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Makati

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

18:29 6:29 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

582,602

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,220 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,608 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.47 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Makati 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Makati

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 Makati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makati wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makati the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,028 in Medellin versus $828 in Makati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Medellin versus $1,257 in Makati – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Makati runs roughly 31% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,257 in Makati versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makati but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Makati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Makati delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,257 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makati hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Makati are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Makati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.