Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tuguegarao

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuguegarao: $570 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Tuguegarao
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Tuguegarao Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tuguegarao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tuguegarao

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $570 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tuguegarao $570

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $909 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tuguegarao $909

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,249 in Tuguegarao, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tuguegarao $1,249

Medellin costs about 187% more than Tuguegarao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tuguegarao is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.58 ₱101

412.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$16.12 ₱1,027

191.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.68 ₱171

254.48%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.74 ₱111

72.99%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.42 ₱26.88

328.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.28 ₱17.60

403.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.02 ₱64.9

211.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.53 ₱97.2

275.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.64 ₱104

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.15 ₱73.1

106.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.68 ₱43.15

160.29%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.98 ₱126

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.92 ₱313

107.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.26 ₱208

202.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.94 ₱506

76.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.20 ₱140

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.51 ₱96.1

2.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.25 ₱143

-3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.02 ₱64.8

113.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.72 ₱109

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.74 ₱111

-8.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.61 ₱39.12

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.49 ₱31.07

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.84 ₱117

115.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.44 ₱538

62.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.96 ₱61.3

72.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.01 ₱128

12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.24 ₱15.11

387.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$13.38 ₱852

478.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.75 ₱47.68

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.24 ₱15.35

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.84 ₱117

364.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.08 ₱68.5

25.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.3K ₱1.4M

59.69%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

84.91%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$31.51 ₱2,007

438.40%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$16.94 ₱1,079

-20.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$22.96 ₱1,462

22.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$31.59 ₱2,012

38.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$5.24 ₱334

228.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.95 ₱315

39.60%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$132 ₱8,382

505.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.7K ₱680.2K

-14.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$28.57 ₱1,820

196.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$19.15 ₱1,219

202.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$39.08 ₱2,489

245.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$23.29 ₱1,484

320.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$246 ₱15.7K

391.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$169 ₱10.8K

279.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$482 ₱30.7K

320.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$349 ₱22.2K

190.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,480 ₱158.0K

68.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,104 ₱70.3K

73.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$201 ₱12.8K

226.27%

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 Tuguegarao: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tuguegarao

$169 29.6% 73.7% $473

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tuguegarao

$170 29.8% 42.7% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tuguegarao

$71 12.5% 66.2% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tuguegarao

$52 9.2% 69.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tuguegarao

$50 8.7% 70.7% $119

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tuguegarao

$16 2.9% 82.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tuguegarao

$41 7.3% 27.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $246 in Tuguegarao. 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 3.3 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 Tuguegarao. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $170 – making Tuguegarao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Tuguegarao

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

166,334

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tuguegarao 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tuguegarao

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 Tuguegarao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 187%, 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 $856 in Tuguegarao. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tuguegarao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $246 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Tuguegarao. 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 $570 in Tuguegarao. That makes Tuguegarao about 65% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Tuguegarao, where all-in costs run around $570, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tuguegarao it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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