Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Phu Quoc

For one person, living is cheaper in Phu Quoc: $730 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Phu Quoc
Learn more

Phu Quoc Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Phu Quoc

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Phu Quoc

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $730 in Phu Quoc, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Phu Quoc $730

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,170 in Phu Quoc, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Phu Quoc $1,170

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,611 in Phu Quoc, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Phu Quoc $1,611

Medellin costs about 132% more than Phu Quoc, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Phu Quoc is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$1.95 ₫50.1K

327.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$21.24 ₫547.2K

119.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$4.53 ₫116.6K

109.05%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.78 ₫45.8K

75.84%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.51 ₫13.1K

247.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.28 ₫7,101

407.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$0.98 ₫25.2K

221.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.51 ₫39.0K

277.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.36 ₫35.1K

12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.99 ₫25.6K

131.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$0.96 ₫24.7K

102.08%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.46 ₫37.6K

110.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$11.84 ₫304.9K

-15.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.79 ₫97.7K

175.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.68 ₫249.4K

44.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.79 ₫71.9K

45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.05 ₫27.1K

45.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.34 ₫34.5K

56.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.08 ₫27.7K

112.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.04 ₫26.7K

102.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.06 ₫27.3K

61.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.70 ₫17.9K

67.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.48 ₫12.4K

229.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$1.36 ₫35.2K

187.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$11.44 ₫294.7K

22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.80 ₫20.5K

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.64 ₫42.3K

65.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.34 ₫8,871

247.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$6.69 ₫172.4K

1040.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.67 ₫17.3K

170.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.67 ₫17.3K

217.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.83 ₫72.9K

187.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.84 ₫21.7K

52.38%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$35.7K ₫920.6M

-3.63%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$31.8K ₫818.2M

7.47%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$75.1 ₫1.9M

136.56%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$5.81 ₫149.7K

139.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$8.77 ₫225.8K

250.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$22.06 ₫568.2K

90.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$7.89 ₫203.1K

112.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$3.00 ₫77.2K

149.00%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$261 ₫6.7M

202.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$11.6K ₫298.2M

6.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$40.55 ₫1.0M

112.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$23.13 ₫595.9K

156.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$87.0 ₫2.2M

59.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$73.5 ₫1.9M

34.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$360 ₫9.3M

272.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$246 ₫6.3M

171.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$732 ₫18.9M

169.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$536 ₫13.8M

92.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$2,068 ₫53.3M

98.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,251 ₫32.2M

55.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.1

20.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phu Quoc: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Phu Quoc

$246 33.7% 63.1% $421

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Phu Quoc

$192 26.3% 37.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Phu Quoc

$90 12.3% 59.7% $133

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Phu Quoc

$62 8.4% 64.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Phu Quoc

$101 13.8% 41.4% $71

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Phu Quoc

$12 1.7% 87.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Phu Quoc

$28 3.8% 50.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $360 in Phu Quoc. 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 $21 in Phu Quoc. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $192 – making Phu Quoc the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇻🇳 Phu Quoc

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

02:07 2:07 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

144,460

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Phu Quoc 18,180 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Phu Quoc

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 Phu Quoc: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 132%, 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 $1,095 in Phu Quoc. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phu Quoc, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $360 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $21 in Phu Quoc. 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 $730 in Phu Quoc. That makes Phu Quoc about 57% cheaper.

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

For expats, Phu Quoc is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.