Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Higuey

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $926 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
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Higuey Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Higuey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $926 in Higuey.

Medellin $1,692
Higuey $926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,521 in Higuey.

Medellin $2,471
Higuey $1,521

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,116 in Higuey.

Medellin $3,249
Higuey $2,116

Living in Medellin is roughly 83% more expensive than in Higuey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Higuey is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$9.95 DOP 598

-16.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$52.3 DOP 3,144

-11.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.43 DOP 446

27.46%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.12 DOP 127

47.64%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$1.07 DOP 64.2

65.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.49 DOP 29.24

189.80%

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

$3.04 DOP 183

87.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.20 DOP 72.3

27.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.54 DOP 92.7

48.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.38 DOP 82.8

40.58%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$2.00 DOP 120

53.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.36 DOP 442

35.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.26 DOP 316

98.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$6.78 DOP 407

105.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.92 DOP 175

38.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.76 DOP 45.92

101.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$1.46 DOP 87.8

43.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$1.29 DOP 77.2

77.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$1.14 DOP 68.2

85.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.18 DOP 70.6

44.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.56 DOP 33.50

108.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$0.52 DOP 31.14

203.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.22 DOP 314

-25.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$10.19 DOP 612

37.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.43 DOP 146

-27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$2.88 DOP 173

-5.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

$0.84 DOP 50.5

40.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

$48.70 DOP 2,925

56.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$3.39 DOP 203

-46.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$2.19 DOP 131

-2.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.70 DOP 343

42.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.47 DOP 88.2

-12.93%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$25.0K DOP 1.5M

37.52%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$31.2K DOP 1.9M

9.49%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$93.0 DOP 5,586

91.09%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$16.84 DOP 1,011

-17.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$33.54 DOP 2,015

-8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$24.52 DOP 1,473

71.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$66.9 DOP 4,020

-74.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$7.29 DOP 438

2.47%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$97.5 DOP 5,857

710.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$2,149 DOP 129.1K

472.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$44.91 DOP 2,697

92.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$45.51 DOP 2,733

30.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$85.8 DOP 5,150

61.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$79.2 DOP 4,756

24.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$300 DOP 18.0K

347.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$217 DOP 13.0K

207.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$570 DOP 34.2K

246.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$415 DOP 24.9K

148.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,862 DOP 111.8K

120.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,225 DOP 73.6K

58.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$444 DOP 26.7K

45.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.5

-4.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Higuey: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Higuey

$217 23.4% 67.5% $451

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Higuey

$194 20.9% 37% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Higuey

$143 15.5% 35.5% $79

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Higuey

$152 16.4% 11.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Higuey

$115 12.4% 33.3% $57

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Higuey

$66 7.2% 29% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Higuey

$39 4.2% 31.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $300 in Higuey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 45% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $52 in Higuey. Groceries flip the comparison at $307 vs $194, with Higuey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Higuey

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

123,787

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Higuey 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Higuey

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 Higuey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Higuey is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 45% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $300 in Higuey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $926 in Higuey – Higuey is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Higuey runs roughly 36% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Higuey is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Higuey wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.