Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tagbilaran City

For one person, living is cheaper in Tagbilaran City: $620 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Tagbilaran City
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Tagbilaran City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Tagbilaran City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $620 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Tagbilaran City $620

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,005 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Tagbilaran City $1,005

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,390 in Tagbilaran City, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Tagbilaran City $1,390

Medellin costs about 162% more than Tagbilaran City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tagbilaran City is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.93 ₱185

183.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$17.16 ₱1,081

173.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$2.91 ₱183

217.53%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.48 ₱156

22.98%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.99 ₱62.6

81.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.42 ₱26.32

228.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$0.77 ₱48.77

320.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.25 ₱142

147.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.49 ₱94.0

0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.01 ₱63.8

134.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.98 ₱61.9

73.47%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.72 ₱108

72.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$9.68 ₱610

5.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.56 ₱287

113.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.70 ₱485

80.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.90 ₱183

42.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.31 ₱82.3

16.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$2.36 ₱149

-5.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.52 ₱95.8

49.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$2.32 ₱146

-14.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.90 ₱120

-12.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.70 ₱43.81

68.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.50 ₱31.38

148.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$2.37 ₱149

63.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.33 ₱399

117.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.92 ₱58.1

80.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.04 ₱65.7

130.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.47 ₱29.42

163.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.79 ₱49.99

62.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.22 ₱13.87

877.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$4.38 ₱276

91.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.03 ₱65.1

31.07%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

61.68%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

81.11%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$78.0 ₱4,911

113.65%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$14.28 ₱899

-4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$25.32 ₱1,594

15.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$10.92 ₱687

312.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$3.22 ₱203

433.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$3.60 ₱227

93.61%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$280 ₱17.6K

182.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,908 ₱497.9K

14.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$36.94 ₱2,326

137.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$17.89 ₱1,126

225.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$65.0 ₱4,094

113.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$58.2 ₱3,665

69.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$190 ₱12.0K

440.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$135 ₱8,524

357.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$482 ₱30.3K

290.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$350 ₱22.0K

187.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$805 ₱50.7K

395.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$476 ₱30.0K

257.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$171 ₱10.8K

287.28%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Tagbilaran City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Tagbilaran City

$135 21.8% 78.1% $484

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Tagbilaran City

$189 30.5% 36.5% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Tagbilaran City

$118 19% 43.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Tagbilaran City

$80 12.9% 53.6% $93

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Tagbilaran City

$76 12.3% 55.5% $95

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Tagbilaran City

$3.8 * 0.6% 96.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Tagbilaran City

$18 2.9% 69.3% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $190 in Tagbilaran 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 287% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $189 – making Tagbilaran City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Tagbilaran City

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

16:11 4:11 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

86,411

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tagbilaran City 17,230 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tagbilaran 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 Tagbilaran City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 162%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $930 in Tagbilaran City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tagbilaran City, 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $17.00 in Tagbilaran City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Tagbilaran City, where all-in costs run around $620, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Tagbilaran City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Tagbilaran 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.