Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Taguig City

For one person, living is cheaper in Taguig City: $1,123 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Taguig City, Philippines
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Taguig City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$1,123
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,123 in Taguig City, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Taguig City $1,123

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,737 in Taguig City, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Taguig City $1,737

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,352 in Taguig City, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Taguig City $2,352

Medellin costs about 46% more than Taguig City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Taguig City is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$3.88 ₱248
108.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$26.67 ₱1,707
76.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$3.18 ₱203
198.74%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$2.52 ₱161
19.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$0.72 ₱45.80
150.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$0.44 ₱27.87
220.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$1.20 ₱77.0
165.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$2.29 ₱147
151.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.83 ₱117
-17.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$1.39 ₱88.9
71.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$0.82 ₱52.5
115.85%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$1.83 ₱117
57.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$4.91 ₱314
107.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$4.58 ₱293
115.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$7.78 ₱498
79.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$2.19 ₱140
81.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.81 ₱116
-14.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$2.80 ₱179
-22.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$1.04 ₱66.6
109.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$1.71 ₱110
14.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$2.64 ₱169
-39.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$1.55 ₱98.9
-25.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$0.55 ₱35.12
125.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$2.90 ₱186
36.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$8.54 ₱547
60.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$1.28 ₱81.9
29.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$2.04 ₱131
10.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$0.23 ₱14.60
408.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
$13.12 ₱839
489.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$0.71 ₱45.42
78.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$0.24 ₱15.39
754.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$1.90 ₱121
350.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.18 ₱75.8
14.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$21.1K ₱1.3M
61.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$18.9K ₱1.2M
83.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$109 ₱6,953
56.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$15.74 ₱1,007
-13.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$23.38 ₱1,496
20.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$29.06 ₱1,860
50.38%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$6.49 ₱415
6.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$129 ₱8,279
515.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$8,655 ₱553.9K
5.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$41.18 ₱2,635
105.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$27.19 ₱1,740
113.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$66.8 ₱4,273
102.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$56.8 ₱3,632
72.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$823 ₱52.7K
46.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$552 ₱35.3K
16.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$3,346 ₱214.1K
-39.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$1,127 ₱72.1K
-10.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$5,275 ₱337.5K
-20.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$3,423 ₱219.0K
-44.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Taguig City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$462 ₱29.6K
42.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.83
60.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Taguig City: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Taguig City
$552 14% $90
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Taguig City
$193 35.1% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Taguig City
$148 30.1% $64
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Taguig City
$86 49.3% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Taguig City
$86 48.9% $83
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Taguig City
$16 83% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Taguig City
$42 26.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $823 in Taguig 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 42% 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 in Medellin versus $27 in Taguig City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $193 – making Taguig City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇵🇭 Taguig City
🕒 Local time
20:28 8:28 PM
09:28 9:28 AM
13 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
47,397
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Taguig City 17,060 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Taguig 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 Taguig City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Taguig City cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,684 in Taguig City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Taguig City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $823 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Taguig City?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Taguig City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Taguig City?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,123 in Taguig City. That makes Taguig City about 32% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Taguig City?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Taguig City, where all-in costs run around $1,123, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Taguig City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Taguig City costs $1,123 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Taguig City. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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