Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Polomolok

For one person, living is cheaper in Polomolok: $612 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Polomolok
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Polomolok Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Polomolok

🇵🇭 Philippines

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Polomolok

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $612 in Polomolok, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Polomolok $612

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $966 in Polomolok, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Polomolok $966

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,321 in Polomolok, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Polomolok $1,321

Medellin costs about 168% more than Polomolok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Polomolok is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$1.53 ₱97.6

428.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$16.22 ₱1,036

190.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$2.06 ₱131

361.17%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.12 ₱135

41.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.37 ₱23.73

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.66 ₱42.33

113.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.14 ₱72.5

178.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.12 ₱136

171.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.58 ₱101

-4.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.89 ₱56.8

167.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.64 ₱40.93

176.56%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.92 ₱123

50.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.35 ₱405

60.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.72 ₱174

262.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$5.61 ₱358

149.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.52 ₱161

57.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.57 ₱36.13

171.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.42 ₱154

-9.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.76 ₱48.46

186.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.15 ₱73.5

70.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.78 ₱178

-42.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.81 ₱51.5

41.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.66 ₱42.05

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.45 ₱156

61.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.06 ₱451

93.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.92 ₱58.5

80.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.52 ₱97.2

48.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.22 ₱14.31

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$12.59 ₱804

514.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.82 ₱52.3

54.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.22 ₱14.05

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$1.92 ₱122

345.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.85 ₱54.3

58.82%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$15.4K ₱985.8K

120.81%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$17.1K ₱1.1M

102.62%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$50.4 ₱3,219

236.74%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.88 ₱1,207

-28.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$26.19 ₱1,673

7.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.17 ₱1,992

40.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$5.26 ₱336

226.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$3.93 ₱251

75.83%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$106 ₱6,744

654.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,346 ₱86.0K

577.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$32.46 ₱2,074

161.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$18.92 ₱1,209

206.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$62.7 ₱4,006

115.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$61.6 ₱3,936

58.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$254 ₱16.2K

375.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$169 ₱10.8K

278.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$558 ₱35.7K

263.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$359 ₱22.9K

181.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,598 ₱166.0K

60.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,128 ₱72.1K

69.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$233 ₱14.9K

181.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

82.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Polomolok

$169 27.7% 73.6% $472

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Polomolok

$156 25.5% 47.6% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Polomolok

$95 15.6% 54.8% $116

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Polomolok

$58 9.5% 65.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Polomolok

$79 12.9% 53.2% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Polomolok

$15 2.5% 83.5% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Polomolok

$39 6.4% 32.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $254 in Polomolok. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Polomolok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $156 – making Polomolok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Polomolok

🕒 Local time

18:04 6:04 PM

07:04 7:04 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

172,605

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Polomolok 17,330 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Polomolok

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 168%, 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 $918 in Polomolok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polomolok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Polomolok. 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 $612 in Polomolok. That makes Polomolok about 63% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polomolok, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Polomolok it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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