Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dorado

For one person, living is cheaper in Dorado: $1,270 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Dorado
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Dorado Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Dorado

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dorado

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,270 in Dorado.

Medellin $1,692
Dorado $1,270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $2,010 in Dorado.

Medellin $2,471
Dorado $2,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,749 in Dorado.

Medellin $3,249
Dorado $2,749

Living in Medellin is roughly 33% more expensive than in Dorado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Dorado is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$18.77 $18.77

-55.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$83.5 $83.5

-44.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$8.96 $8.96

5.69%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.62 $3.62

-13.54%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$1.92 $1.92

-7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.51 $1.51

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.95 $2.95

6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$5.09 $5.09

11.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$2.21 $2.21

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$3.55 $3.55

-35.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.39 $2.39

-18.83%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$7.13 $7.13

-56.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$12.41 $12.41

-19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$9.87 $9.87

5.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.18 $13.18

5.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$4.92 $4.92

-17.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$2.55 $2.55

-40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.99 $4.99

-57.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$4.88 $4.88

-53.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$3.89 $3.89

-45.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$3.94 $3.94

-56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$3.42 $3.42

-65.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$1.59 $1.59

-0.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$12.11 $12.11

-67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$15.75 $15.75

-10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$3.07 $3.07

-42.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$4.05 $4.05

-33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.44 $2.44

-25.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.52 $1.52

40.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$42.32 $42.32

-80.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.06 $1.06

20.75%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$35.0K $35.0K

-1.74%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$28.3K $28.3K

20.54%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$318 $318

-44.09%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$27.82 $27.82

-50.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$69.6 $69.6

-55.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.66 $10.66

-29.92%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$824 $824

-4.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$6,469 $6,469

90.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$56.6 $56.6

52.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$61.1 $61.1

-3.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$107 $107

29.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$112 $112

-11.48%

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

6.55

67.02%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Dorado: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Dorado

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Dorado

$413 32.5% 34.5% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Dorado

$415 32.7% 86.8% $193

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Dorado

$259 20.4% 50.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Dorado

$151 11.9% 12.2% $21

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Dorado

$10 * 0.8% 89.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Dorado

$21 * 1.7% 62.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $84 in Dorado for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $413 per month, with Medellin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇵🇷 Dorado

🕒 Local time

23:32 11:32 PM

00:32 12:32 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

12,172

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 USD = 0.888 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.13 USD (1 USD = 0.888 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Dorado 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dorado

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 Dorado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dorado is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $1,906 in Dorado 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.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $824 in Dorado. 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 $84 in Dorado. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,270 in Dorado versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Dorado but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dorado 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.