Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Fernando, Philippines

Name: San Fernando
Address: San Fernando, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in San Fernando: $807 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in San Fernando
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San Fernando Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

San Fernando

🇵🇭 Philippines

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Fernando

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $807 in San Fernando, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
San Fernando $807

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,271 in San Fernando, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
San Fernando $1,271

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,735 in San Fernando, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
San Fernando $1,735

Medellin costs about 110% more than San Fernando, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while San Fernando is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$3.07 ₱195

171.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$23.84 ₱1,516

95.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$2.82 ₱179

235.82%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.71 ₱109

83.04%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.64 ₱40.43

176.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.38 ₱24.23

273.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.09 ₱69.3

188.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.95 ₱124

192.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.76 ₱112

-13.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.87 ₱55.0

163.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$0.96 ₱61.1

102.08%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$1.90 ₱121

61.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$4.60 ₱293

117.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.31 ₱210

215.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$7.04 ₱448

98.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.58 ₱164

56.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$2.06 ₱131

-25.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$2.75 ₱175

-23.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$0.92 ₱58.2

148.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.38 ₱88.0

52.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.32 ₱83.8

29.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.65 ₱41.09

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.35 ₱22.37

351.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$2.71 ₱172

44.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.96 ₱442

101.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.75 ₱47.73

134.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.95 ₱187

-8.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.25 ₱15.80

372.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$13.59 ₱864

461.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.00 ₱63.7

81.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.20 ₱12.70

965.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$1.94 ₱123

319.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.27 ₱80.7

0.79%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

63.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

79.10%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$96.3 ₱6,121

84.62%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$17.18 ₱1,092

-19.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$30.29 ₱1,926

1.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$31.66 ₱2,013

32.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$15.57 ₱990

7.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.66 ₱296

60.30%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$267 ₱17.0K

195.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$13.5K ₱855.9K

-8.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$49.06 ₱3,119

75.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$37.73 ₱2,399

57.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$71.4 ₱4,542

93.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$78.4 ₱4,982

26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$402 ₱25.6K

233.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$266 ₱16.9K

151.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$724 ₱46.0K

172.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$560 ₱35.6K

84.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$4,249 ₱270.2K

-3.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$2,385 ₱151.6K

-18.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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 San Fernando: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

San Fernando

$266 32.9% 60.2% $402

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

San Fernando

$167 20.7% 45.6% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

San Fernando

$144 17.8% 35.4% $79

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

San Fernando

$67 8.3% 61.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

San Fernando

$106 13.2% 38.2% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

San Fernando

$17 2.1% 82.3% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

San Fernando

$41 5.1% 28% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $402 in San Fernando. 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 $24 in San Fernando. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $167 – making San Fernando the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 San Fernando

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

08:22 8:22 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

354,666

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.58 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.57 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Fernando 17,040 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Fernando

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 San Fernando: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 110%, 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 $1,211 in San Fernando. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Fernando, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $402 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in San Fernando. 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 $807 in San Fernando. That makes San Fernando about 52% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in San Fernando, where all-in costs run around $807, than in Medellin at $1,692. In San Fernando it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, San Fernando is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.