Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Puerto Princesa

For one person, living is cheaper in Puerto Princesa: $842 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Puerto Princesa
Learn more

Puerto Princesa Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Puerto Princesa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Puerto Princesa

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $842 in Puerto Princesa, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Puerto Princesa $842

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,245 in Puerto Princesa, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Puerto Princesa $1,245

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,648 in Puerto Princesa, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Puerto Princesa $1,648

Medellin costs about 101% more than Puerto Princesa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Puerto Princesa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.57 ₱227

133.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$20.46 ₱1,298

127.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$3.27 ₱207

189.60%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.18 ₱139

43.58%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.77 ₱49.04

129.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.44 ₱28.18

222.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.20 ₱76.3

162.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.15 ₱136

165.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.69 ₱107

-9.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.14 ₱72.6

100.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$0.77 ₱48.99

151.95%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.89 ₱120

62.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.75 ₱301

110.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.16 ₱264

151.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.37 ₱467

89.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.48 ₱157

63.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.81 ₱115

-15.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$2.61 ₱165

-19.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$0.93 ₱58.9

146.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.53 ₱97.1

37.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.51 ₱95.6

13.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.90 ₱57.1

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.51 ₱32.52

209.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.78 ₱176

40.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.01 ₱445

100.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$1.08 ₱68.6

62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.84 ₱117

47.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.25 ₱15.91

372.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$13.38 ₱849

470.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$0.80 ₱50.8

126.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$0.22 ₱14.08

868.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$1.84 ₱117

341.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.02 ₱64.7

25.49%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$16.3K ₱1.0M

111.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

81.42%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$110 ₱6,985

61.43%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$16.01 ₱1,016

-13.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$26.74 ₱1,696

14.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$32.08 ₱2,035

30.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.95 ₱314

50.91%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$269 ₱17.1K

193.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,369 ₱467.5K

66.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$49.23 ₱3,123

75.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$27.64 ₱1,753

114.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$71.0 ₱4,506

94.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$59.7 ₱3,790

65.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$414 ₱26.3K

224.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$283 ₱17.9K

135.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$797 ₱50.6K

147.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$484 ₱30.7K

113.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$3,936 ₱249.7K

4.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,410 ₱152.9K

-19.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$287 ₱18.2K

125.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

56.29%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Puerto Princesa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Puerto Princesa

$283 33.6% 57.6% $384

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Puerto Princesa

$175 20.8% 43.1% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Puerto Princesa

$153 18.2% 31.3% $69

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Puerto Princesa

$80 9.5% 53.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Puerto Princesa

$93 11.1% 45.8% $79

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Puerto Princesa

$16 1.9% 82.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Puerto Princesa

$42 5% 26.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $414 in Puerto Princesa. 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 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $20 in Puerto Princesa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $175 – making Puerto Princesa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Puerto Princesa

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

04:03 4:03 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

307,079

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.44 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.95 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Puerto Princesa 17,630 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Puerto Princesa

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 Puerto Princesa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 101%, 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 $1,263 in Puerto Princesa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Puerto Princesa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $414 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $20 in Puerto Princesa. 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 $842 in Puerto Princesa. That makes Puerto Princesa about 50% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Puerto Princesa, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Puerto Princesa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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