Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santa Rosa, Philippines

Name: Santa Rosa
Address: Santa Rosa, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $614 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 Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Santa Rosa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $614 in Santa Rosa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santa Rosa $614

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $873 in Santa Rosa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santa Rosa $873

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,131 in Santa Rosa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santa Rosa $1,131

Medellin costs about 167% more than Santa Rosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$2.47 ₱158

227.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$16.32 ₱1,044

188.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.76 ₱177

244.20%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.12 ₱71.4

168.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.36 ₱22.80

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.22 ₱13.98

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.00 ₱63.9

218.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$1.26 ₱80.8

356.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.60 ₱102

-5.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.15 ₱73.7

106.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.99 ₱63.7

78.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.53 ₱97.9

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$5.10 ₱326

99.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.42 ₱219

188.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.75 ₱496

80.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.18 ₱140

82.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.80 ₱51.3

93.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$2.27 ₱146

-3.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.00 ₱64.1

118.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.71 ₱109

14.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.73 ₱111

-8.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.64 ₱41.04

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.48 ₱30.42

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.80 ₱179

41.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$8.75 ₱560

56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$0.95 ₱61.1

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.03 ₱130

11.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.21 ₱13.30

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$13.39 ₱857

477.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.81 ₱51.7

56.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.24 ₱15.38

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$1.92 ₱123

345.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.02 ₱65.3

32.35%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

60.49%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

80.98%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$62.5 ₱3,996

171.66%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$6.40 ₱410

111.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$23.42 ₱1,499

19.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$31.17 ₱1,994

40.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$5.99 ₱383

186.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$5.16 ₱330

33.91%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$132 ₱8,418

505.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$5,549 ₱355.1K

64.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$28.17 ₱1,803

200.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$19.31 ₱1,236

200.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$71.5 ₱4,576

88.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$55.1 ₱3,523

77.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$255 ₱16.3K

373.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$168 ₱10.8K

281.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$494 ₱31.6K

310.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$169 ₱10.8K

499.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,457 ₱157.2K

69.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,162 ₱74.4K

64.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$140 ₱8,947

370.02%

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 Rosa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santa Rosa

$168 27.4% 73.8% $473

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santa Rosa

$166 27.1% 44% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santa Rosa

$92 15% 56.3% $119

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santa Rosa

$51 8.3% 69.8% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8% 53.7% $91

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santa Rosa

$16 2.6% 82.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santa Rosa

$41 6.8% 27.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $255 in Santa Rosa. 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 4.7 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 Santa Rosa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $166 – making Santa Rosa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

12:27 12:27 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

414,812

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Santa Rosa 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santa Rosa

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 Rosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 167%, 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 $921 in Santa Rosa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Rosa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Santa Rosa. 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 $614 in Santa Rosa. That makes Santa Rosa about 63% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Santa Rosa, where all-in costs run around $614, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Santa Rosa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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