Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Philipsburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,094 in Philipsburg, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Philipsburg

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Philipsburg

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,094 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Philipsburg $3,094

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $6,080 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Philipsburg $6,080

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $9,066 in Philipsburg, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Philipsburg $9,066

Medellin is about 47% cheaper than Philipsburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Philipsburg sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Philipsburg by 127%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$15.29 ANG 27.37

-47.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$68.7 ANG 123

-31.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.01 ANG 14.34

18.60%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$4.43 ANG 7.93

-32.05%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$2.86 ANG 5.13

-37.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$4.07 ANG 7.29

-65.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.94 ANG 5.26

8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.65 ANG 11.90

-13.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$3.02 ANG 5.41

-50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$2.73 ANG 4.89

-12.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.46 ANG 4.40

-28.05%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$6.46 ANG 11.56

-55.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$18.14 ANG 32.47

-43.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$13.75 ANG 24.61

-28.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$15.14 ANG 27.10

-7.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$5.09 ANG 9.11

-22.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$5.07 ANG 9.07

-69.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$8.79 ANG 15.73

-75.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$7.70 ANG 13.78

-71.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$3.94 ANG 7.04

-50.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$4.06 ANG 7.27

-60.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$4.95 ANG 8.86

-76.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$1.36 ANG 2.44

-8.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$7.88 ANG 14.11

-49.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.95 ANG 19.61

24.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$4.98 ANG 8.91

-66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.32 ANG 4.15

-49.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$1.53 ANG 2.74

4956.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$14.87 ANG 26.61

-91.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$153 ANG 273

11.19%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$32.43 ANG 58.1

-58.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$65.0 ANG 116

-56.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$63.6 ANG 114

-31.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.02 ANG 19.72

-37.30%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$253 ANG 452

215.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$12.2K ANG 21.9K

-25.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,126 ANG 3,805

-43.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$1,983 ANG 3,550

-67.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$6,627 ANG 11.9K

-69.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$6,545 ANG 11.7K

-84.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,111 ANG 1,988

-40.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Philipsburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Philipsburg

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Philipsburg

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Philipsburg

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Philipsburg

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Philipsburg

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Philipsburg

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Philipsburg

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,126 in Philipsburg. 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 69% higher in Philipsburg, 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 $69 in Philipsburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $494 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇽 Philipsburg

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.501 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2 ANG (1 ANG = 0.501 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Philipsburg 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Philipsburg

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 Philipsburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Philipsburg is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,641 in Philipsburg. 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 $2,126 in Philipsburg.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $69 in Philipsburg. 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 $3,094 in Philipsburg. That makes Medellin about 47% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Philipsburg at $3,094. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Philipsburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $3,094 in Philipsburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Philipsburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.