Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pagadian

For one person, living is cheaper in Pagadian: $731 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pagadian
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Pagadian Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Pagadian

🇵🇭 Philippines

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pagadian

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $731 in Pagadian, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Pagadian $731

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,112 in Pagadian, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Pagadian $1,112

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,494 in Pagadian, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Pagadian $1,494

Medellin costs about 122% more than Pagadian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Pagadian is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.97 ₱250

109.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$16.95 ₱1,067

176.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$2.75 ₱173

236.00%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.91 ₱120

59.69%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.80 ₱50.6

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.25 ₱15.76

452.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.46 ₱92.2

121.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$1.99 ₱125

179.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.69 ₱106

-11.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.16 ₱73.1

104.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.96 ₱60.8

77.08%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.87 ₱118

58.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$5.47 ₱344

86.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.27 ₱269

128.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.29 ₱459

90.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.35 ₱148

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.53 ₱96.4

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.41 ₱151

-7.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.13 ₱71.3

100.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.01 ₱127

-1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.93 ₱121

-13.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.92 ₱58.1

28.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.55 ₱34.43

125.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.87 ₱181

34.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.48 ₱471

84.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.01 ₱63.8

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.94 ₱122

23.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.26 ₱16.37

376.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$11.25 ₱708

595.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.78 ₱48.85

64.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.21 ₱13.17

923.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.88 ₱118

345.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.03 ₱64.9

31.07%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.3K ₱1.3M

63.30%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

82.83%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$125 ₱7,875

33.23%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$15.14 ₱953

-10.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$24.15 ₱1,521

20.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$32.36 ₱2,037

39.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$4.70 ₱296

265.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$5.07 ₱319

37.48%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$130 ₱8,191

507.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,984 ₱502.7K

13.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$32.64 ₱2,055

169.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$19.82 ₱1,248

193.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.4 ₱4,556

92.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$55.1 ₱3,470

79.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$266 ₱16.7K

286.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$171 ₱10.7K

263.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$516 ₱32.5K

264.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$354 ₱22.3K

184.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,381 ₱149.9K

67.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$997 ₱62.8K

70.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.79

61.12%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pagadian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Pagadian

$171 23.3% 72.5% $449

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Pagadian

$180 24.6% 39.7% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Pagadian

$164 22.5% 21.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Pagadian

$81 11.1% 53.1% $92

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Pagadian

$78 10.7% 54.1% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Pagadian

$14 1.9% 85.2% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Pagadian

$43 5.8% 28% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $266 in Pagadian. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $17.00 in Pagadian. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $180 – making Pagadian the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Pagadian

🕒 Local time

06:40 6:40 AM

19:40 7:40 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

199,060

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Pagadian 17,390 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Pagadian

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 Pagadian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,096 in Pagadian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pagadian, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $17.00 in Pagadian. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $731 in Pagadian. That's a gap of about 122%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pagadian, where all-in costs run around $731, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Pagadian it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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