Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Cruz, Laguna

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santa Cruz, Laguna $616

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $911 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santa Cruz, Laguna $911

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,206 in Santa Cruz, Laguna, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206

Medellin costs about 166% more than Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$1.55 ₱98.9

421.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$7.73 ₱495

508.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.79 ₱178

240.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.76 ₱113

71.02%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.37 ₱23.94

386.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.24 ₱15.44

487.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.01 ₱64.8

214.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$0.90 ₱57.3

538.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.54 ₱98.5

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.15 ₱73.5

106.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.91 ₱58.0

94.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.52 ₱97.2

90.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$4.82 ₱308

111.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.29 ₱210

200.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.20 ₱461

94.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.37 ₱87.8

189.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.49 ₱31.57

216.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.43 ₱91.8

52.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.06 ₱67.8

105.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.67 ₱107

17.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.68 ₱107

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.61 ₱39.31

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.52 ₱33.17

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.93 ₱188

35.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$8.49 ₱544

61.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.96 ₱61.5

72.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.06 ₱132

9.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.21 ₱13.13

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$11.50 ₱736

572.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.76 ₱48.82

67.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.22 ₱14.02

831.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$1.93 ₱124

343.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.20 ₱76.6

12.50%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

64.56%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

83.16%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$82.8 ₱5,298

104.92%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$17.51 ₱1,120

-22.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$22.58 ₱1,445

24.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$27.30 ₱1,747

60.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$4.47 ₱286

284.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.03 ₱322

37.38%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$128 ₱8,207

521.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$10.6K ₱678.7K

-14.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$28.32 ₱1,812

199.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$19.21 ₱1,229

201.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$69.6 ₱4,454

93.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$53.7 ₱3,437

82.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$219 ₱14.0K

452.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$160 ₱10.2K

300.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$480 ₱30.7K

322.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$298 ₱19.1K

239.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,453 ₱157.0K

69.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,079 ₱69.0K

77.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.75

62.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26% 75% $481

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8% 48.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20% 41.8% $88

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3% 69.8% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5% 54.5% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3% 84.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1% 35.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $153 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

09:32 9:32 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

123,574

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100 PHP = 1.56 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.24 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Santa Cruz, Laguna 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Cruz, Laguna

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 Santa Cruz, Laguna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 166%, 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 $923 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. 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 $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna. That makes Santa Cruz, Laguna about 62% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Cruz, Laguna, where all-in costs run around $616, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Santa Cruz, Laguna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Santa Cruz, Laguna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.