Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cabarete

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabarete: $1,191 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Cabarete
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Cabarete Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cabarete

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cabarete

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 Cabarete actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,191 in Cabarete.

Medellin $1,639
Cabarete $1,191

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,800 in Cabarete.

Medellin $2,413
Cabarete $1,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,409 in Cabarete.

Medellin $3,186
Cabarete $2,409

Living in Medellin is roughly 38% more expensive than in Cabarete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cabarete is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.60 DOP 458

6.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$50.1 DOP 3,020

-5.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.53 DOP 394

45.48%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.01 DOP 121

49.75%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.06 DOP 63.7

69.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.58 DOP 34.91

143.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.39 DOP 144

33.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.15 DOP 190

82.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.40 DOP 84.7

7.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.52 DOP 91.5

56.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.62 DOP 97.5

9.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.30 DOP 139

25.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.10 DOP 429

43.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.34 DOP 322

84.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.72 DOP 406

108.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.91 DOP 175

36.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.79 DOP 47.66

96.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.70 DOP 163

-19.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.84 DOP 111

18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.04 DOP 123

-3.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.22 DOP 134

-28.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.97 DOP 58.7

18.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.85 DOP 51.6

45.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.10 DOP 248

-3.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$10.24 DOP 618

33.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.56 DOP 155

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.42 DOP 146

-6.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.03 DOP 62.1

13.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.30 DOP 199

-61.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.24 DOP 135

-8.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.67 DOP 342

50.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.22 DOP 73.8

10.66%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.8K DOP 1.6M

27.03%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$33.6K DOP 2.0M

3.15%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$90.2 DOP 5,444

88.06%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$31.17 DOP 1,881

-56.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$36.44 DOP 2,199

-22.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$24.37 DOP 1,471

79.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.29 DOP 440

-5.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$246 DOP 14.9K

223.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,266 DOP 438.5K

25.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$45.08 DOP 2,721

87.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$45.53 DOP 2,747

27.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$86.5 DOP 5,219

56.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$123 DOP 7,394

-20.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$713 DOP 43.0K

69.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$497 DOP 30.0K

29.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,219 DOP 73.6K

66.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$809 DOP 48.8K

25.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$293 DOP 17.7K

551.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cabarete: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cabarete

$497 41.7% 22.6% $145

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cabarete

$215 18.1% 27.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cabarete

$158 13.3% 25.3% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cabarete

$129 10.9% 23.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cabarete

$135 11.3% 20.2% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cabarete

$19 * 1.6% 80.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cabarete

$39 3.3% 32.3% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $713 in Cabarete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $50 in Cabarete. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $215, with Cabarete cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Cabarete

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

4,094

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.35 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Cabarete 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cabarete

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 Cabarete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cabarete wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cabarete the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,787 in Cabarete 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $713 in Cabarete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $246 in Cabarete. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $50 in Cabarete. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cabarete is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cabarete delivers better value at $1,191 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cabarete hard to pass up.