Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Higuey and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $926 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
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Higuey Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$926

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $926 in Higuey versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Higuey $926
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,521 in Higuey versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Higuey $1,521
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,116 in Higuey versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Higuey $2,116
Medellin $3,249

Living in Higuey costs roughly 45% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Higuey is 31% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 DOP 598

$8.34 COP 26.9K

19.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 DOP 3,145

$46.53 COP 150.1K

12.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 DOP 446

$9.47 COP 30.6K

-21.54%

Cappuccino

$2.12 DOP 127

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-32.27%

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

$1.07 DOP 64.2

$1.77 COP 5,700

-39.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 DOP 29.25

$1.42 COP 4,597

-65.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 DOP 151

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-20.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 DOP 183

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-46.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 72.4

$1.53 COP 4,946

-21.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 DOP 92.7

$2.29 COP 7,394

-32.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 82.8

$1.94 COP 6,276

-28.87%

Eggs

$2.00 DOP 120

$3.07 COP 9,895

-34.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 DOP 442

$9.99 COP 32.2K

-26.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.26 DOP 316

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-49.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 DOP 407

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-51.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 DOP 175

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-27.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 DOP 45.93

$1.53 COP 4,932

-50.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 DOP 87.8

$2.10 COP 6,791

-30.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 DOP 77.2

$2.29 COP 7,402

-43.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 DOP 68.2

$2.11 COP 6,807

-45.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 DOP 70.6

$1.71 COP 5,515

-30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 DOP 33.51

$1.17 COP 3,776

-52.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 DOP 31.15

$1.58 COP 5,099

-67.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 DOP 314

$3.91 COP 12.6K

33.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 DOP 612

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-27.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 DOP 146

$1.76 COP 5,685

38.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 DOP 173

$2.71 COP 8,752

6.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 DOP 50.5

$1.18 COP 3,807

-28.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.70 DOP 2,926

$76.3 COP 246.2K

-36.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.39 DOP 204

$1.81 COP 5,831

87.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 DOP 131

$2.13 COP 6,871

2.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.70 DOP 343

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-29.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 DOP 88.2

$1.28 COP 4,115

14.84%

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

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

-27.28%

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

$31.2K DOP 1.9M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

-8.67%

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

$93.0 DOP 5,588

$178 COP 573.5K

-47.67%

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

$16.84 DOP 1,012

$13.89 COP 44.8K

21.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.54 DOP 2,015

$30.74 COP 99.2K

9.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.52 DOP 1,473

$41.94 COP 135.4K

-41.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.9 DOP 4,022

$16.80 COP 54.2K

298.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 DOP 438

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-2.41%

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

$97.5 DOP 5,859

$790 COP 2.5M

-87.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,149 DOP 129.1K

$12.3K COP 39.7M

-82.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.91 DOP 2,698

$86.3 COP 278.6K

-47.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 DOP 2,734

$59.3 COP 191.2K

-23.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 DOP 5,152

$138 COP 446.4K

-38.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 DOP 4,757

$98.8 COP 318.9K

-19.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 DOP 18.0K

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-77.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 DOP 13.0K

$667 COP 2.2M

-67.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 DOP 34.2K

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-71.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 DOP 24.9K

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-59.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,862 DOP 111.9K

$4,098 COP 13.2M

-54.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,225 DOP 73.6K

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-36.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$444 DOP 26.7K

$646 COP 2.1M

-31.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

10.94

5.12%

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

Last update for Higuey: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Higuey

$217 23.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 208% $451

Groceries & Markets

Higuey

$194 20.9%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 58.7% $114

Eating Out

Higuey

$152 16.4%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 13.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Higuey

$143 15.5%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 55.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Higuey

$115 12.4%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 49.9% $57

Getting Around

Higuey

$66 7.2%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 40.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Higuey

$39 4.2%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 45.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Higuey and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $52 in Higuey vs $47 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $194 vs $307, with Higuey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Higuey

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:11 2:11 PM

13:11 1:11 PM

1 h behind Higuey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,787

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 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 = 60.08 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Higuey Medellin 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Higuey
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

Higuey vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Higuey is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Higuey. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $300 in Higuey versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $926 per month in Higuey versus $1,692 in Medellin – Higuey is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Higuey runs roughly 36% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Higuey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Higuey wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.