Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tacloban

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $773 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tacloban

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $773 in Tacloban, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Tacloban $773

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,160 in Tacloban, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Tacloban $1,160

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,548 in Tacloban, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Tacloban $1,548

Medellin costs about 109% more than Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tacloban is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.06 ₱193

159.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$15.80 ₱995

191.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.36 ₱149

302.54%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.41 ₱152

29.05%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.66 ₱41.55

177.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.37 ₱23.54

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.56 ₱98.2

95.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.21 ₱139

148.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$2.03 ₱128

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.17 ₱73.9

101.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.90 ₱56.7

86.67%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.95 ₱123

46.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$10.00 ₱629

1.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.34 ₱273

119.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$7.20 ₱453

95.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.47 ₱218

17.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.10 ₱69.0

36.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.32 ₱146

-6.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.48 ₱93.5

56.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$2.36 ₱149

-18.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.92 ₱121

-14.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.14 ₱71.9

-0.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.64 ₱40.22

95.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$1.95 ₱123

104.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.23 ₱392

114.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.13 ₱71.0

50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.66 ₱104

42.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.27 ₱17.05

348.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$11.05 ₱696

592.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.78 ₱49.11

69.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.23 ₱14.54

830.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$1.87 ₱118

352.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.99 ₱62.1

31.31%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

32.07%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

80.49%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$120 ₱7,542

43.66%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$14.07 ₱886

-4.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$27.83 ₱1,752

3.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$32.70 ₱2,059

38.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$4.69 ₱295

263.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.73 ₱361

9.60%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$134 ₱8,419

475.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,021 ₱505.0K

12.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$32.68 ₱2,057

164.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$19.29 ₱1,214

196.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$76.2 ₱4,797

79.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$57.1 ₱3,597

71.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$263 ₱16.5K

301.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$191 ₱12.0K

222.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$523 ₱32.9K

262.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$360 ₱22.7K

184.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$2,393 ₱150.6K

69.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$976 ₱61.5K

71.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$347 ₱21.9K

87.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.2

51.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tacloban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Tacloban

$191 24.7% 69% $425

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Tacloban

$202 26.1% 31.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Tacloban

$162 20.9% 24.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 51% $87

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Tacloban

$77 9.9% 54.4% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Tacloban

$14 1.8% 84.9% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Tacloban

$44 5.7% 23.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $263 in Tacloban. 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 88% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $16.00 in Tacloban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $202 – making Tacloban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

05:26 5:26 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

242,089

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Tacloban 17,020 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tacloban

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 Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,160 in Tacloban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tacloban, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $16.00 in Tacloban. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $773 in Tacloban. That's a gap of about 109%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tacloban, where all-in costs run around $773, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Tacloban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tacloban – 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 Tacloban. 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.