Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Quezon City

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $923 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$923

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Quezon City

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $923 in Quezon City, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Quezon City $923

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,469 in Quezon City, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Quezon City $1,469

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,016 in Quezon City, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Quezon City $2,016

Medellin costs about 78% more than Quezon City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Quezon City is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.29 ₱274

88.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$19.04 ₱1,217

147.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$2.70 ₱173

251.85%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.62 ₱167

14.89%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.67 ₱43.03

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.26 ₱16.51

442.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.42 ₱91.0

123.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.80 ₱179

105.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.67 ₱107

-9.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.10 ₱70.1

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.85 ₱54.1

108.24%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.76 ₱113

64.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$6.60 ₱422

54.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.10 ₱262

140.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.05 ₱450

98.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.96 ₱253

0.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.41 ₱90.3

9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.49 ₱223

-37.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.14 ₱73.0

91.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.26 ₱145

-13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$3.29 ₱210

-51.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.36 ₱86.9

-15.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.95 ₱60.5

30.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.75 ₱176

44.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.24 ₱462

88.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.27 ₱80.9

30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.72 ₱110

31.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.26 ₱16.52

350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$19.11 ₱1,221

304.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.80 ₱51.2

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.23 ₱14.73

791.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$2.56 ₱164

233.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.17 ₱75.0

15.38%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

60.93%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$18.6K ₱1.2M

86.20%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$161 ₱10.3K

5.44%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$14.15 ₱904

-4.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$24.29 ₱1,552

15.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$37.60 ₱2,402

16.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$3.33 ₱213

416.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.09 ₱453

-2.54%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$71.8 ₱4,588

1009.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$2,476 ₱158.2K

268.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$34.53 ₱2,206

145.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$21.92 ₱1,400

164.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.5 ₱5,014

71.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$75.5 ₱4,825

29.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$476 ₱30.4K

153.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$263 ₱16.8K

144.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$984 ₱62.9K

106.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$691 ₱44.1K

46.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,779 ₱177.6K

50.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,839 ₱117.5K

3.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$428 ₱27.4K

53.44%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Quezon City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Quezon City

$263 28.5% 59.1% $379

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Quezon City

$202 21.9% 32% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Quezon City

$199 21.6% 5.7% $12

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Quezon City

$90 9.8% 46.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Quezon City

$95 10.3% 44% $74

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Quezon City

$22 2.4% 76.4% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Quezon City

$52 5.6% 10% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $476 in Quezon City. 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 53% higher in Medellin, 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 $19 in Quezon City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $202 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

00:57 12:57 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,936,116

💱 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 = 3,501 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 = 71.11 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Quezon City 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Quezon City

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 Quezon City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 78%, 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 $1,384 in Quezon City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quezon City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $476 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Quezon City. 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 $923 in Quezon City. That’s a gap of about 78%.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $923 in Quezon City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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