Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mandaluyong

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandaluyong: $1,066 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$1,066

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mandaluyong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,066 in Mandaluyong.

Medellin $1,639
Mandaluyong $1,066

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,643 in Mandaluyong.

Medellin $2,413
Mandaluyong $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,221 in Mandaluyong.

Medellin $3,186
Mandaluyong $2,221

Living in Medellin is roughly 54% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Mandaluyong is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.81 ₱308

68.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$16.11 ₱1,029

192.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$3.48 ₱222

172.99%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.20 ₱140

36.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.96 ₱61.3

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.49 ₱31.06

187.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.16 ₱74.0

174.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.33 ₱149

146.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.65 ₱105

-8.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.31 ₱83.9

81.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.94 ₱60.2

88.30%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.19 ₱140

31.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.07 ₱324

100.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.78 ₱306

106.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.81 ₱435

105.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.30 ₱211

20.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.89 ₱121

-17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.00 ₱191

-27.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.80 ₱115

21.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.21 ₱141

-11.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.56 ₱164

-37.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.62 ₱39.34

85.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.48 ₱30.91

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.81 ₱179

40.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.55 ₱546

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.88 ₱56.0

88.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.02 ₱129

11.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.32 ₱20.59

265.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$13.10 ₱837

490.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.76 ₱48.38

67.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.24 ₱15.38

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.90 ₱121

350.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.20 ₱76.5

12.50%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

61.52%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

84.86%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$138 ₱8,839

22.63%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$17.04 ₱1,089

-20.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$23.94 ₱1,530

17.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.69 ₱2,025

37.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.03 ₱385

14.59%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$132 ₱8,429

503.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,937 ₱571.0K

1.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$27.86 ₱1,780

204.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$27.00 ₱1,725

114.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$70.5 ₱4,505

91.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$55.2 ₱3,529

77.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$727 ₱46.4K

66.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$457 ₱29.2K

40.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$2,395 ₱153.0K

-15.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$996 ₱63.6K

1.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,203 ₱268.6K

-0.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,924 ₱186.8K

-34.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$537 ₱34.3K

22.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.75

62.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mandaluyong: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mandaluyong

$457 42.9% 28.7% $184

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mandaluyong

$196 18.4% 34% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mandaluyong

$179 16.8% 15.1% $32

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mandaluyong

$92 8.6% 46% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mandaluyong

$81 7.6% 51.9% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mandaluyong

$16 1.5% 82.5% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mandaluyong

$44 4.1% 24% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 22% 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 in Medellin vs $16 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $196 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

06:19 6:19 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

425,758

💱 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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Medellin Mandaluyong 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,066 in Mandaluyong, so Mandaluyong is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 22% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $727 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Mandaluyong gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.