Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Romana and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $627 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$627

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $627 per month in La Romana vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

La Romana $627
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $1,011 per month in La Romana vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

La Romana $1,011
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,395 per month in La Romana vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

La Romana $1,395
Medellin $3,249

La Romana is about 63% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

La Romana sits 54% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.32 DOP 503

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.07 DOP 2,483

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-11.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 DOP 419

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-26.82%

Cappuccino

$1.82 DOP 110

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-41.85%

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

$0.72 DOP 43.69

$1.77 COP 5,728

-59.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 DOP 19.33

$1.42 COP 4,620

-77.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.38 DOP 144

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-24.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 DOP 232

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-32.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 DOP 64.8

$1.53 COP 4,971

-30.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 DOP 108

$2.29 COP 7,431

-22.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 DOP 92.4

$1.94 COP 6,308

-21.13%

Eggs

$1.48 DOP 89.3

$3.07 COP 9,945

-51.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 DOP 384

$9.99 COP 32.4K

-36.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 DOP 210

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-66.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.75 DOP 287

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-65.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 DOP 226

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 DOP 83.3

$1.53 COP 4,957

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 DOP 202

$2.10 COP 6,825

59.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 131

$2.29 COP 7,439

-5.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.51 DOP 212

$2.11 COP 6,841

66.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 DOP 179

$1.71 COP 5,543

72.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 DOP 56.6

$1.17 COP 3,795

-19.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 DOP 96.6

$1.58 COP 5,125

1.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 DOP 284

$3.91 COP 12.7K

19.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.13 DOP 975

$14.04 COP 45.6K

14.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 DOP 182

$1.76 COP 5,714

71.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 DOP 201

$2.71 COP 8,796

22.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,826

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.41 DOP 146

$1.81 COP 5,860

33.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.34 DOP 202

$2.13 COP 6,906

56.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 DOP 83.1

$1.28 COP 4,136

7.03%

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

$14.5K DOP 878.5K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

-57.81%

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

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

$34.1K COP 110.7M

-25.91%

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

$92.3 DOP 5,582

$178 COP 576.4K

-48.06%

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

$9.95 DOP 602

$13.89 COP 45.0K

-28.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.80 DOP 2,346

$30.74 COP 99.7K

26.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.93 DOP 298

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-34.00%

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

$145 DOP 8,779

$790 COP 2.6M

-81.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,443 DOP 329.1K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-55.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.87 DOP 1,564

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-70.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.03 DOP 2,723

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 DOP 3,681

$138 COP 448.7K

-55.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.0 DOP 3,932

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-34.19%

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 13.3M

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 %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for La Romana: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

La Romana

–

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Groceries & Markets

La Romana

–

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Romana

–

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Eating Out

La Romana

–

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Clothing & Footwear

La Romana

–

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Getting Around

La Romana

–

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sport & Entertainment

La Romana

–

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in La Romana versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $307 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 La Romana

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

1 h behind La Romana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

567,431

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 60.46 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.61 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

La Romana Medellin 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

La Romana
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

La Romana vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $941 per month in La Romana and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $627 in La Romana and $1,692 in Medellin. That makes La Romana about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $145 per month in La Romana and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in La Romana, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Medellin at $1,692. In La Romana 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 $627 in La Romana to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.