Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Valencia City

For one person, living is cheaper in Valencia City: $718 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Valencia City
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Valencia City Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Valencia City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $718 in Valencia City, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Valencia City $718

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,101 in Valencia City, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Valencia City $1,101

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,484 in Valencia City, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Valencia City $1,484

Medellin costs about 136% more than Valencia City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Valencia City is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$2.93 ₱186

184.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$16.36 ₱1,036

184.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$1.98 ₱125

378.28%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.19 ₱139

42.92%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.37 ₱23.65

378.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.40 ₱25.50

255.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.14 ₱72.1

176.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.09 ₱133

172.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.91 ₱121

-19.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.12 ₱71.1

104.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.83 ₱52.4

133.73%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.49 ₱94.3

106.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$6.25 ₱396

59.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.60 ₱292

127.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$9.16 ₱580

52.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.79 ₱177

45.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.11 ₱70.3

37.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$2.39 ₱152

-12.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.12 ₱71.2

104.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.61 ₱38.81

245.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$2.24 ₱142

-23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.20 ₱75.9

-2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.67 ₱42.18

135.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.45 ₱155

59.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.74 ₱491

81.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.25 ₱79.4

40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.64 ₱104

65.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.24 ₱15.27

391.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$12.47 ₱790

511.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.82 ₱51.7

120.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.24 ₱15.21

787.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$1.86 ₱118

337.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.25 ₱79.4

2.40%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$20.7K ₱1.3M

66.67%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

78.28%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$106 ₱6,700

68.07%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$18.85 ₱1,194

-26.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$30.49 ₱1,932

0.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$31.47 ₱1,994

33.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$5.16 ₱327

225.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.77 ₱303

56.60%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$103 ₱6,533

666.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,343 ₱465.3K

67.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$32.27 ₱2,045

167.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$19.08 ₱1,209

210.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$70.5 ₱4,465

96.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$60.1 ₱3,809

64.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$253 ₱16.1K

429.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$167 ₱10.6K

299.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$485 ₱30.7K

307.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$351 ₱22.2K

194.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,651 ₱168.0K

54.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,095 ₱69.4K

77.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.31

31.65%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Valencia City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Valencia City

$167 23.3% 75% $500

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Valencia City

$189 26.3% 38.6% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Valencia City

$155 21.6% 30.2% $67

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Valencia City

$69 9.6% 60.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Valencia City

$82 11.4% 52.5% $90

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Valencia City

$15 2.2% 83.5% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Valencia City

$41 5.7% 27.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $253 in Valencia City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Valencia City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $189 – making Valencia City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Valencia City

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

08:36 8:36 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

216,546

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

100 PHP = 1.58 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 63.36 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 71.33 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

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

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,077 in Valencia City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valencia City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $16 in Valencia City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $718 in Valencia City. That makes Valencia City about 58% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Valencia City, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Valencia City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Valencia City is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 58% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.