Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bonao

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$678

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bonao

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

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

Medellin $1,692
Bonao $678

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

Medellin $2,471
Bonao $1,117

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

Medellin $3,249
Bonao $1,556

Living in Medellin is roughly 149% more expensive than in Bonao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$9.74 DOP 585

-14.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$48.85 DOP 2,934

-4.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.64 DOP 459

23.95%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.93 DOP 116

62.18%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.06 DOP 63.5

66.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.57 DOP 34.39

149.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.51 DOP 151

25.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.14 DOP 189

81.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.02 DOP 61.5

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.03 DOP 61.8

122.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$0.66 DOP 39.83

193.94%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.16 DOP 69.9

164.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.84 DOP 291

106.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.45 DOP 327

91.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.67 DOP 400

109.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.34 DOP 141

73.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.64 DOP 38.14

139.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$2.63 DOP 158

-20.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.40 DOP 84.3

63.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.01 DOP 121

4.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.54 DOP 92.7

11.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$1.02 DOP 61.2

14.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.47 DOP 28.11

236.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.19 DOP 312

-24.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$6.86 DOP 412

104.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.04 DOP 122

-13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.83 DOP 170

-4.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.58 DOP 34.58

103.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$34.90 DOP 2,096

118.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$3.19 DOP 192

-43.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$2.26 DOP 136

-5.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$2.48 DOP 149

227.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.43 DOP 86.2

-10.49%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$29.2K DOP 1.8M

17.89%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

2.77%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$91.6 DOP 5,503

93.96%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$30.86 DOP 1,854

-54.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$35.71 DOP 2,144

-13.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.34 DOP 441

1.77%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$246 DOP 14.8K

221.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,464 DOP 448.3K

64.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$44.87 DOP 2,695

92.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$46.00 DOP 2,763

28.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$84.6 DOP 5,084

63.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$121 DOP 7,262

-18.28%

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 %)

10.94

13.56

-19.32%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bonao: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bonao

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bonao

$171 25.2% 44.4% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bonao

$158 23.3% 28.9% $64

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bonao

$149 22% 13.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bonao

$133 19.7% 22.6% $39

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bonao

$52 7.6% 44.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bonao

$15 * 2.2% 74.2% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Bonao

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

158,034

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 DOP = 1.67 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Medellin
Bonao

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

Medellin vs Bonao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,018 in Bonao 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 $790 in Medellin versus $246 in Bonao. 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.