Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quezon City and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Quezon City: $860 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Quezon City
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Quezon City Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Quezon City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$860

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $860 per month in Quezon City vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Quezon City $860
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,372 per month in Quezon City vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Quezon City $1,372
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,885 per month in Quezon City vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Quezon City $1,885
Medellin $3,190

Quezon City is about 47% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Quezon City sits 36% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 ₱282

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-43.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.90 ₱1,190

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-59.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-70.11%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ₱175

$3.11 COP 9,866

-10.29%

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

$0.75 ₱47.41

$1.83 COP 5,800

-59.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.78

$1.38 COP 4,360

-80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ₱91.6

$3.05 COP 9,672

-52.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 ₱178

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-48.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.45 COP 4,600

15.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$2.36 COP 7,496

-51.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱53.0

$1.68 COP 5,328

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.75 ₱110

$2.86 COP 9,077

-38.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 ₱421

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-34.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 ₱267

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-55.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 ₱455

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-48.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.96 ₱250

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-2.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.7

$1.50 COP 4,742

-9.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$2.17 COP 6,891

59.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$2.31 COP 7,310

-51.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 ₱148

$1.93 COP 6,113

21.76%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 ₱209

$1.64 COP 5,196

102.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 ₱89.7

$1.13 COP 3,571

25.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$1.25 COP 3,954

-22.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.82 ₱178

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-29.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 ₱487

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-42.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₱83.8

$1.70 COP 5,384

-21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₱113

$2.37 COP 7,525

-24.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₱22.92

$1.21 COP 3,827

-70.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.25 ₱1,212

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-74.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.63

$1.32 COP 4,179

-41.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.22

$2.14 COP 6,774

-90.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ₱162

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-69.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ₱74.6

$1.30 COP 4,114

-9.23%

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

$21.4K ₱1.4M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-23.37%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-46.05%

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

$163 ₱10.2K

$172 COP 545.6K

-5.46%

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

$14.34 ₱903

$13.37 COP 42.4K

7.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.17 ₱1,522

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-15.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.36 ₱2,415

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-15.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.30 ₱207

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-80.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.01 ₱441

$6.28 COP 19.9K

11.62%

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

$71.8 ₱4,522

$770 COP 2.4M

-90.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,491 ₱156.8K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-72.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.65 ₱2,245

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-58.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.77 ₱1,433

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-60.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 ₱4,898

$137 COP 432.9K

-43.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₱4,850

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-70.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$187 ₱11.8K

$616 COP 2.0M

-69.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 ₱47.0K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-60.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$537 ₱33.8K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-47.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 ₱149.2K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-41.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 ₱89.7K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-15.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 ₱27.0K

$652 COP 2.1M

-34.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-36.01%

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

Last update for Quezon City: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Quezon City

$206 24%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 43.2% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quezon City

$201 23.4%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 6.5% $13

Accommodation & Living

Quezon City

$187 21.8%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 229% $429

Clothing & Footwear

Quezon City

$96 11.2%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 77.3% $74

Eating Out

Quezon City

$95 11%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 77.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Quezon City

$52 6.1%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 10.4% $5.4

Getting Around

Quezon City

$23 2.6%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 314% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Quezon City versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 52% 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 $19.00 in Quezon City versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $295 – making Quezon City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Quezon City

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

19:20 7:20 PM

13 h behind Quezon City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,936,116

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Quezon City Medellin 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Quezon City
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

Quezon City vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,290 per month in Quezon City and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quezon City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Quezon City and $46.00 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 $860 in Quezon City and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 88%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Quezon City, where all-in costs run around $860, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Quezon City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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