Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Philadelphia, PA

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Philadelphia, PA
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Philadelphia, PA Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Philadelphia, PA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Philadelphia, PA

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Philadelphia, PA $2,823

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,218 in Philadelphia, PA, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Philadelphia, PA $4,218

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $5,612 in Philadelphia, PA, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Philadelphia, PA $5,612

Medellin is about 42% cheaper than Philadelphia, PA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Philadelphia, PA sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Philadelphia, PA by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$23.40 $23.40

-65.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$85.0 $85.0

-44.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$12.73 $12.73

-25.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.32 $5.32

-43.42%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$3.00 $3.00

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.23 $2.23

-36.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$5.83 $5.83

-45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$8.14 $8.14

-29.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.45 $1.45

4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$4.34 $4.34

-45.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$7.04 $7.04

-74.86%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.93 $4.93

-41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.93 $11.93

-14.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$12.45 $12.45

-20.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.21 $17.21

-18.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$5.59 $5.59

-28.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.60 $1.60

-3.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$5.56 $5.56

-60.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$5.57 $5.57

-60.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.88 $2.88

-31.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.18 $3.18

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.57 $2.57

-55.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.53 $2.53

-50.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$12.03 $12.03

-67.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$15.25 $15.25

-10.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$2.33 $2.33

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$4.37 $4.37

-48.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$2.98 $2.98

-60.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$117 $117

-33.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.83 $2.83

-55.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.58 $1.58

29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$23.53 $23.53

-63.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.10 $1.10

22.73%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$31.8K $31.8K

7.12%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.1K $26.1K

32.88%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$224 $224

-24.14%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$64.9 $64.9

-79.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$67.5 $67.5

-58.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$71.1 $71.1

-38.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$88.9 $88.9

-80.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$15.13 $15.13

-54.33%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$2,117 $2,117

-62.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$41.8K $41.8K

-78.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$50.2 $50.2

68.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$43.91 $43.91

32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$103 $103

31.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$142 $142

-30.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$2,069 $2,069

-41.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,269 $1,269

-49.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$4,571 $4,571

-55.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,103 $2,103

-51.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,141 $4,141

0.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,890 $1,890

1.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,139 $4,139

-84.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.66

64.26%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Philadelphia, PA: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Philadelphia, PA

$1.3K 44.9% 97.8% $627

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Philadelphia, PA

$450 15.9% 51.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6% 68.5% $145

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Philadelphia, PA

$356 12.6% 110% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Philadelphia, PA

$152 5.4% 9.9% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Philadelphia, PA

$139 4.9% 49.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Philadelphia, PA

$101 3.6% 76.1% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Philadelphia, PA are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $85 in Philadelphia, PA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $450 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇺🇸 Philadelphia, PA

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,573,916

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Philadelphia, PA 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Philadelphia, PA

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 Philadelphia, PA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Philadelphia, PA is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,235 in Philadelphia, PA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,069 in Philadelphia, PA.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $85 in Philadelphia, PA. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $2,823 in Philadelphia, PA. That’s a gap of about 72%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Philadelphia, PA at $2,823. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Philadelphia, PA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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