Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bonao and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $678 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
Learn more

Bonao Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$678

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Bonao versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Bonao $678
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,117 in Bonao versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Bonao $1,117
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,556 in Bonao versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Bonao $1,556
Medellin $3,249

Living in Bonao costs roughly 60% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bonao is 50% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.74 DOP 585

$8.34 COP 26.9K

16.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.85 DOP 2,934

$46.53 COP 150.2K

4.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 DOP 459

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-19.32%

Cappuccino

$1.93 DOP 116

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-38.34%

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

$1.06 DOP 63.5

$1.77 COP 5,702

-40.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 DOP 34.39

$1.42 COP 4,599

-59.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 DOP 151

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-20.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 DOP 189

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-44.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 DOP 61.5

$1.53 COP 4,948

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 DOP 61.8

$2.29 COP 7,397

-55.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 DOP 39.83

$1.94 COP 6,279

-65.98%

Eggs

$1.16 DOP 69.9

$3.07 COP 9,900

-62.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.84 DOP 291

$9.99 COP 32.3K

-51.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 DOP 327

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-47.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.67 DOP 400

$13.96 COP 45.1K

-52.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 DOP 141

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-42.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 DOP 38.14

$1.53 COP 4,934

-58.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 DOP 158

$2.10 COP 6,794

25.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 DOP 84.3

$2.29 COP 7,405

-38.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 DOP 121

$2.11 COP 6,810

-4.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 DOP 92.7

$1.71 COP 5,518

-9.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 DOP 61.2

$1.17 COP 3,778

-12.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 DOP 28.11

$1.58 COP 5,101

-70.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.19 DOP 312

$3.91 COP 12.6K

32.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 DOP 412

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-51.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 DOP 122

$1.76 COP 5,688

15.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 DOP 170

$2.71 COP 8,756

4.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 DOP 34.58

$1.18 COP 3,809

-50.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.90 DOP 2,096

$76.3 COP 246.3K

-54.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 DOP 192

$1.81 COP 5,833

76.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 DOP 136

$2.13 COP 6,874

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 DOP 149

$8.13 COP 26.3K

-69.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 DOP 86.2

$1.28 COP 4,117

11.72%

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

$29.2K DOP 1.8M

$34.4K COP 111.2M

-15.17%

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

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

$34.1K COP 110.2M

-2.70%

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

$91.6 DOP 5,503

$178 COP 573.8K

-48.44%

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

$30.86 DOP 1,854

$13.89 COP 44.8K

122.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.71 DOP 2,144

$30.74 COP 99.2K

16.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.34 DOP 441

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-1.74%

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

$246 DOP 14.8K

$790 COP 2.6M

-68.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,464 DOP 448.3K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-39.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.87 DOP 2,695

$86.3 COP 278.7K

-48.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.00 DOP 2,763

$59.3 COP 191.3K

-22.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 DOP 5,084

$138 COP 446.6K

-38.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 DOP 7,262

$98.8 COP 319.0K

22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

10.94

23.95%

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

Last update for Bonao: November 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bonao

$171 25.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 79.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bonao

$158 23.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 40.5% $64

Eating Out

Bonao

$149 22%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 15.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bonao

$133 19.7%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 29.1% $39

Getting Around

Bonao

$52 7.6%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 80.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Bonao

$15 * 2.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 287% $42

Accommodation & Living

Bonao

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $49 in Bonao vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $171 vs $307, with Bonao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Bonao

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

1 h behind Bonao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,034

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.06 DOP (100 DOP = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 67.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,610 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bonao Medellin 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bonao
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

Bonao vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $678 in Bonao and $1,692 in Medellin, so Bonao is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,018 in Bonao and $2,538 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

A monthly transit pass in Bonao runs roughly 54% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $246 in Bonao versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $678 in Bonao versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bonao but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bonao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.