Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Malaybalay

For one person, living is cheaper in Malaybalay: $739 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Malaybalay
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Malaybalay Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Malaybalay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Malaybalay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $739 in Malaybalay.

Medellin $1,692
Malaybalay $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,140 in Malaybalay.

Medellin $2,471
Malaybalay $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,542 in Malaybalay.

Medellin $3,249
Malaybalay $1,542

Living in Medellin is roughly 129% more expensive than in Malaybalay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Malaybalay is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$4.55 ₱289

83.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$16.36 ₱1,040

184.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$3.49 ₱222

171.35%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.14 ₱136

46.26%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.45 ₱28.56

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.32 ₱20.47

343.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.18 ₱75.3

166.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.06 ₱131

176.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.97 ₱125

-22.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.10 ₱70.1

108.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$0.84 ₱53.5

130.95%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.90 ₱121

61.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.31 ₱401

58.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.55 ₱289

129.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.02 ₱573

54.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.70 ₱171

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.11 ₱70.6

37.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$2.39 ₱152

-12.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.14 ₱72.3

100.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.90 ₱121

11.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$3.29 ₱209

-48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.24 ₱78.8

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.67 ₱42.60

135.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.41 ₱153

62.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$7.89 ₱501

77.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.22 ₱77.5

44.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.66 ₱106

63.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.24 ₱15.27

391.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$12.31 ₱783

519.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.79 ₱50.4

129.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.24 ₱15.32

787.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$1.91 ₱121

325.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.26 ₱80.3

1.59%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

62.19%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

82.38%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$104 ₱6,590

71.47%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$19.05 ₱1,211

-27.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$30.84 ₱1,961

-0.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$31.24 ₱1,987

34.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$5.12 ₱325

228.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.80 ₱305

55.63%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$105 ₱6,703

649.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,393 ₱470.1K

66.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$32.03 ₱2,036

169.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$19.04 ₱1,211

211.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$71.0 ₱4,513

94.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$59.6 ₱3,792

65.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$250 ₱15.9K

435.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$166 ₱10.5K

302.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$485 ₱30.8K

307.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$354 ₱22.5K

191.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,659 ₱169.1K

54.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,116 ₱71.0K

73.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.31

31.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Malaybalay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Malaybalay

$166 22.4% 75.1% $501

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Malaybalay

$196 26.5% 36.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Malaybalay

$154 20.8% 30.9% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Malaybalay

$86 11.6% 50.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Malaybalay

$82 11.1% 52.5% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Malaybalay

$15 2.1% 83.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Malaybalay

$41 5.5% 28.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $250 in Malaybalay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $16 in Malaybalay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $196 per month, with Malaybalay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Malaybalay

🕒 Local time

19:09 7:09 PM

08:09 8:09 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

190,712

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Malaybalay 17,210 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Malaybalay

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 Malaybalay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $739 in Malaybalay, so Malaybalay is about 56% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,109 in Malaybalay to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $250 in Malaybalay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Malaybalay – a meal for two runs $16 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $739 in Malaybalay versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Malaybalay but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Malaybalay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Malaybalay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.