Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pasig

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasig: $716 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Pasig, Philippines
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Pasig
🇵🇭 Philippines
$716
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pasig

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $716 in Pasig, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Pasig $716

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,199 in Pasig, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Pasig $1,199

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,682 in Pasig, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Pasig $1,682

Medellin costs about 129% more than Pasig, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Pasig is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$3.88 ₱248
108.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$26.26 ₱1,678
79.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$2.74 ₱175
246.72%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$2.20 ₱140
36.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$0.65 ₱41.28
176.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$0.33 ₱21.09
327.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$1.14 ₱73.0
178.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$2.34 ₱149
145.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.69 ₱108
-10.65%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.10 ₱70.4
116.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.00 ₱63.6
77.00%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$1.99 ₱127
45.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$5.63 ₱360
80.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$3.41 ₱218
189.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$7.69 ₱491
81.92%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$3.08 ₱197
28.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.52 ₱96.9
1.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$2.83 ₱181
-22.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$1.73 ₱111
26.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$2.25 ₱144
-12.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$2.65 ₱169
-40.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$2.14 ₱136
-46.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.59 ₱37.41
110.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$2.91 ₱186
36.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$9.57 ₱612
42.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.30 ₱82.8
27.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$2.04 ₱130
10.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$0.48 ₱30.73
143.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$0.77 ₱49.10
64.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.23 ₱14.74
791.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$1.93 ₱123
343.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.22 ₱78.2
10.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$21.4K ₱1.4M
59.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$18.7K ₱1.2M
85.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$119 ₱7,635
41.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$16.99 ₱1,085
-20.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$24.01 ₱1,534
16.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$29.49 ₱1,884
48.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$6.14 ₱393
12.54%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$131 ₱8,373
507.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$8,921 ₱570.0K
2.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$33.15 ₱2,118
155.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$27.27 ₱1,742
112.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$69.6 ₱4,446
93.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$54.9 ₱3,505
78.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$323 ₱20.7K
273.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$148 ₱9,467
332.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$504 ₱32.2K
302.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$476 ₱30.4K
112.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$3,203 ₱204.6K
30.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$2,511 ₱160.4K
-23.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Pasig
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$512 ₱32.7K
28.36%
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 Pasig: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Pasig
$148 76.9% $493
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Pasig
$199 33.1% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Pasig
$160 24% $51
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Pasig
$80 52.9% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Pasig
$83 50.8% $86
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Pasig
$3.9 * 95.9% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Pasig
$42 27.4% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $323 in Pasig. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 28% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $26 in Pasig. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $199 – making Pasig the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇭 Pasig
🕒 Local time
17:15 5:15 PM
06:15 6:15 AM
13 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
803,159
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Pasig 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Pasig

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 Pasig: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pasig cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,074 in Pasig. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pasig, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $323 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Pasig?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $26 in Pasig. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Pasig?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Pasig?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasig, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Pasig it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Pasig more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Pasig – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Pasig. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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