Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Valenzuela

For one person, living is cheaper in Valenzuela: $552 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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 Valenzuela
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Valenzuela Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Valenzuela

🇵🇭 Philippines

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Valenzuela

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $552 in Valenzuela, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Valenzuela $552

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,208 in Valenzuela, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Valenzuela $1,208

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,864 in Valenzuela, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Valenzuela $1,864

Medellin costs about 197% more than Valenzuela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Valenzuela is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.88 ₱247

108.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$16.61 ₱1,058

183.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.74 ₱174

246.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.00 ₱128

50.50%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.56 ₱35.46

221.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.31 ₱19.44

354.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.24 ₱79.0

156.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.54 ₱98.2

273.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.65 ₱105

-8.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.09 ₱69.2

118.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.99 ₱63.3

78.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.05 ₱131

40.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$4.97 ₱316

105.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.28 ₱209

200.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.78 ₱432

106.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.20 ₱140

80.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.58 ₱101

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.31 ₱147

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.05 ₱67.1

107.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.72 ₱110

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.70 ₱109

-6.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.64 ₱40.99

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.48 ₱30.60

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.62 ₱167

51.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$7.59 ₱484

80.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.94 ₱59.7

76.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.94 ₱124

16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.23 ₱14.71

408.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$13.23 ₱843

484.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.64 ₱40.80

98.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.21 ₱13.37

876.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$1.89 ₱121

352.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.19 ₱75.9

13.45%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

62.20%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

79.80%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$138 ₱8,776

23.12%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$15.92 ₱1,014

-14.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$30.98 ₱1,973

-9.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$19.07 ₱1,215

129.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.41 ₱408

7.80%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$130 ₱8,270

513.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,357 ₱468.6K

23.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$28.67 ₱1,826

195.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$19.33 ₱1,231

199.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$69.3 ₱4,414

94.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$53.9 ₱3,435

81.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$997 ₱63.5K

103.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$770 ₱49.1K

31.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$578 ₱36.8K

13.66%

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 Valenzuela: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Valenzuela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Valenzuela

$167 30.2% 43.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Valenzuela

$185 33.4% 12.6% $27

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Valenzuela

$76 13.8% 55.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Valenzuela

$77 14% 54.4% $92

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Valenzuela

$16 2.9% 83.1% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Valenzuela

$32 5.8% 44.6% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 14% 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 $17 in Valenzuela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $167 – making Valenzuela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇭 Valenzuela

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

16:10 4:10 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

714,978

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.08 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Valenzuela 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Valenzuela

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 Valenzuela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 197%, 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 $829 in Valenzuela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $17 in Valenzuela. 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 $552 in Valenzuela. That makes Valenzuela about 66% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Valenzuela, where all-in costs run around $552, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Valenzuela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $552 in Valenzuela to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Valenzuela. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.