Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dubasari

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubasari: $644 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Dubasari, Moldova
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Dubasari
🇲🇩 Moldova
$644
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dubasari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $644 in Dubasari.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Dubasari $644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $953 in Dubasari.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Dubasari $953

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,263 in Dubasari.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Dubasari $1,263

Living in Medellin is roughly 155% more expensive than in Dubasari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Dubasari is 53% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$8.35 MDL 149
-3.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$28.85 MDL 515
63.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$10.54 MDL 188
-9.87%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$1.71 MDL 30.61
76.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$1.06 MDL 18.96
69.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.65 MDL 11.68
116.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$1.93 MDL 34.43
64.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.19 MDL 39.05
162.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.21 MDL 21.70
24.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$0.45 MDL 8.03
428.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$1.53 MDL 27.25
15.69%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.15 MDL 38.37
34.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$6.77 MDL 121
50.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$4.54 MDL 81.1
117.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$6.24 MDL 111
124.20%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$0.98 MDL 17.55
305.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$2.24 MDL 40.05
-30.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.88 MDL 33.60
15.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$2.35 MDL 41.98
-7.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$0.77 MDL 13.72
154.55%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$0.52 MDL 9.31
205.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$0.46 MDL 8.24
150.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.54 MDL 9.59
129.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$3.36 MDL 59.9
17.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$4.38 MDL 78.3
212.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.38 MDL 24.63
20.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
$1.92 MDL 34.28
17.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$2.71 MDL 48.45
-53.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$0.26 MDL 4.67
688.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$5.46 MDL 97.5
56.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$1.55 MDL 27.59
-12.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$33.4K MDL 597.3K
1.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$24.3K MDL 433.5K
42.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$225 MDL 4,023
-24.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$7.76 MDL 139
74.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$11.09 MDL 198
153.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$11.13 MDL 199
292.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$7.31 MDL 131
-5.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$113 MDL 2,016
605.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$5,238 MDL 93.5K
73.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$44.36 MDL 792
90.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$56.6 MDL 1,011
138.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$50.3 MDL 898
94.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Dubasari
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
8
36.75%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Dubasari: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Dubasari
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Dubasari
$162 45.5% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Dubasari
$244 15.5% $33
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Dubasari
$140 17.5% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Dubasari
$68 * 59.7% $101
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Dubasari
$4 * 95.7% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Dubasari
$26 55.2% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $29 in Dubasari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $162 per month, with Dubasari cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇩 Dubasari
🕒 Local time
18:31 6:31 PM
01:31 1:31 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
23,254
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 17.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.6 USD). 1 EUR = 20.02 MDL (100 MDL = 5 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Dubasari 10,590 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Dubasari

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 Dubasari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dubasari cheaper than Medellin?
Dubasari is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $965 in Dubasari 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.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Dubasari?
Supermarket bills run roughly 83% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Dubasari?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $644 in Dubasari – Dubasari is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Dubasari?
At $644 in Dubasari versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dubasari but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Dubasari the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Dubasari?
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.

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