Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palawan and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $784 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$784

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Palawan and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Palawan and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $784 per month in Palawan vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Palawan $784
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Palawan vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Palawan $1,223
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,661 per month in Palawan vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Palawan $1,661
Medellin $3,186

Palawan is about 52% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Palawan sits 42% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.48 ₱221

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-56.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.38 ₱1,231

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-58.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.31 ₱210

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-65.16%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱160

$3.01 COP 9,734

-16.28%

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

$0.78 ₱49.48

$1.80 COP 5,809

-56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₱25.05

$1.41 COP 4,560

-72.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 ₱83.0

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-58.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₱136

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-62.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.51 COP 4,875

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ₱77.2

$2.38 COP 7,677

-48.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.4

$1.77 COP 5,719

-43.50%

Eggs

$2.00 ₱127

$2.89 COP 9,332

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 ₱502

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-22.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 ₱276

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-55.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 ₱484

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-45.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 ₱182

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-27.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱100

$1.55 COP 5,011

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 ₱166

$2.18 COP 7,047

20.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ₱98.6

$2.18 COP 7,050

-28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 ₱142

$1.96 COP 6,336

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$2.54 ₱161

$1.59 COP 5,131

59.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₱70.2

$1.15 COP 3,698

-3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₱47.85

$1.24 COP 4,014

-39.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 ₱184

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-27.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.95 ₱442

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-49.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₱74.0

$1.66 COP 5,359

-29.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$2.26 COP 7,290

-12.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.37

$1.17 COP 3,770

-77.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.46 ₱728

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-85.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.7

$1.27 COP 4,094

-36.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱13.95

$2.05 COP 6,611

-89.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₱132

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-75.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₱72.0

$1.35 COP 4,348

-16.30%

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

$26.1K ₱1.7M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-23.32%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-40.19%

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

$112 ₱7,092

$170 COP 547.7K

-34.18%

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

$33.36 ₱2,119

$13.55 COP 43.7K

146.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.52 ₱1,748

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-1.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.20 ₱2,172

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-21.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.55 ₱289

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-73.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.96 ₱378

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-13.75%

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

$153 ₱9,734

$797 COP 2.6M

-80.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,354 ₱276.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-52.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.66 ₱2,963

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-44.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.57 ₱1,688

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-54.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.4 ₱4,726

$135 COP 435.7K

-44.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ₱3,437

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-44.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$263 ₱16.7K

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-78.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.1K

$642 COP 2.1M

-72.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 ₱36.6K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-71.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.8K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-61.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 ₱147.4K

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-44.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,122 ₱71.2K

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-41.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.94

-39.03%

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

Last update for Palawan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Palawan

$202 25.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 46.7% $95

Accommodation & Living

Palawan

$174 22.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 268% $467

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palawan

$173 22%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 22.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Palawan

$91 11.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 86.1% $78

Eating Out

Palawan

$84 10.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 103% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Palawan

$46 5.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 24.7% $11

Getting Around

Palawan

$14 1.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 549% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $263 in Palawan versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 $19 in Palawan versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $297 – making Palawan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Palawan

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

02:45 2:45 AM

13 h behind Palawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

939,594

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.51 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.1 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Palawan Medellin 17,620 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Palawan
Medellin

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

Palawan vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 109%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,176 per month in Palawan and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Palawan and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $784 in Palawan and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Palawan about 52% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Palawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Palawan is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.