Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jarabacoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Jarabacoa: $695 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Jarabacoa
Learn more

Jarabacoa Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jarabacoa

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$695

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jarabacoa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $695 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Jarabacoa $695

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,144 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Jarabacoa $1,144

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,593 in Jarabacoa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Jarabacoa $1,593

Medellin costs about 136% more than Jarabacoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Jarabacoa is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$9.89 DOP 606

-18.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$48.23 DOP 2,954

-2.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.36 DOP 451

29.08%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.30 DOP 141

30.87%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.05 DOP 64.4

71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.57 DOP 35.19

147.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.46 DOP 151

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.10 DOP 190

85.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.40 DOP 85.5

7.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.54 DOP 94.0

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.60 DOP 98.2

10.62%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.33 DOP 143

24.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.13 DOP 437

42.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.43 DOP 333

81.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.47 DOP 396

116.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.23 DOP 198

22.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.79 DOP 48.30

96.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.66 DOP 163

-18.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.85 DOP 114

17.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$2.02 DOP 124

-2.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$2.17 DOP 133

-26.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.98 DOP 59.9

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.98 DOP 60.3

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.12 DOP 314

-22.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.08 DOP 617

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.62 DOP 160

-36.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.87 DOP 176

-21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$3.32 DOP 203

-61.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$2.23 DOP 137

-8.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$5.77 DOP 353

48.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.41 DOP 86.4

-4.26%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.3K DOP 1.8M

16.13%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$33.7K DOP 2.1M

3.03%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$92.1 DOP 5,642

84.14%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$31.44 DOP 1,925

-56.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$35.29 DOP 2,161

-20.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.32 DOP 448

-5.60%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$244 DOP 14.9K

226.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,179 DOP 439.7K

26.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$45.63 DOP 2,794

85.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$46.74 DOP 2,862

24.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$85.1 DOP 5,214

58.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$121 DOP 7,389

-18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

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 Jarabacoa: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jarabacoa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jarabacoa

$219 31.5% 26.3% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jarabacoa

$159 22.9% 24.8% $52

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jarabacoa

$154 22.1% 9.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jarabacoa

$134 19.3% 20.6% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jarabacoa

$14 * 2.1% 84.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jarabacoa

$15 * 2.1% 74.6% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $48 in Jarabacoa. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $219 in Jarabacoa – so Jarabacoa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Jarabacoa

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

69,855

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.47 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 61.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.17 DOP (100 DOP = 1.47 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Jarabacoa 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jarabacoa

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 Jarabacoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 136%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,042 in Jarabacoa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $244 in Jarabacoa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jarabacoa, where all-in costs run around $695, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Jarabacoa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $695 in Jarabacoa to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.