Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Panglao

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $795 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Panglao

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $795 in Panglao, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Panglao $795

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,113 in Panglao, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Panglao $1,113

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,431 in Panglao, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Panglao $1,431

Medellin costs about 113% more than Panglao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Panglao is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.89 ₱245

114.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$23.45 ₱1,476

98.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.93 ₱247

140.97%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.14 ₱135

46.26%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.69 ₱43.44

156.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.47 ₱29.59

202.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.54 ₱96.8

104.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$1.84 ₱116

209.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.58 ₱99.4

-3.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.09 ₱68.8

110.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$0.92 ₱58.0

110.87%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$1.69 ₱106

81.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.73 ₱298

111.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.52 ₱284

131.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.65 ₱482

82.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.90 ₱120

113.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.31 ₱82.7

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.94 ₱122

8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.49 ₱94.0

53.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$2.30 ₱145

-8.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.89 ₱119

-9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.07 ₱67.3

9.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.46 ₱28.65

243.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.89 ₱182

35.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$5.73 ₱361

145.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$0.80 ₱50.1

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$1.55 ₱97.4

74.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.22 ₱13.79

436.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$12.47 ₱785

511.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$0.74 ₱46.40

144.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.22 ₱13.88

868.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$1.85 ₱117

339.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.94 ₱59.2

36.17%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

63.56%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

78.39%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$58.2 ₱3,666

205.22%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$6.53 ₱411

112.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$23.87 ₱1,503

28.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$20.83 ₱1,312

101.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$5.16 ₱325

225.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.92 ₱247

90.56%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$132 ₱8,317

498.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,973 ₱502.0K

54.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$32.20 ₱2,027

168.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$19.54 ₱1,231

203.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$66.0 ₱4,155

109.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$46.55 ₱2,931

112.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$279 ₱17.6K

380.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$336 ₱21.2K

98.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$541 ₱34.1K

265.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$396 ₱25.0K

160.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$933 ₱58.7K

339.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,091 ₱68.7K

77.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.2

51.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Panglao: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Panglao

$336 42.2% 49.6% $331

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Panglao

$168 21.2% 45.2% $139

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Panglao

$89 11.1% 60.1% $134

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Panglao

$85 10.6% 50.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Panglao

$74 9.3% 57.1% $98

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Panglao

$15 1.9% 83.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Panglao

$29 3.6% 49.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $279 in Panglao. 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 in Medellin versus $23 in Panglao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $168 – making Panglao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Panglao

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

18:27 6:27 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

39,839

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 62.97 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Panglao 17,240 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Panglao

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 Panglao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,193 in Panglao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Panglao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $279 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $23 in Panglao. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $795 in Panglao. That makes Panglao about 53% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Panglao – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Panglao is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 53% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.