Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and La Romana

For one person, living is cheaper in La Romana: $627 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

La Romana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in La Romana

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $627 in La Romana, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
La Romana $627

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,011 in La Romana, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
La Romana $1,011

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,395 in La Romana, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
La Romana $1,395

Medellin costs about 170% more than La Romana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while La Romana is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.32 DOP 500

0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$41.07 DOP 2,466

13.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$6.93 DOP 416

36.65%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.82 DOP 109

71.98%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.72 DOP 43.40

145.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.32 DOP 19.20

343.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.38 DOP 143

32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.84 DOP 231

48.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.07 DOP 64.3

42.99%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.78 DOP 107

28.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.53 DOP 91.8

26.80%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.48 DOP 88.7

107.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.36 DOP 382

57.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.47 DOP 208

201.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$4.75 DOP 285

193.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.74 DOP 225

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$1.38 DOP 82.8

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$3.34 DOP 200

-37.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$2.17 DOP 131

5.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$3.51 DOP 211

-39.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$2.95 DOP 177

-42.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.94 DOP 56.2

24.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.60 DOP 95.9

-1.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.69 DOP 282

-16.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$16.13 DOP 969

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$3.01 DOP 181

-41.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$3.33 DOP 200

-18.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,809

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,833

$2.41 DOP 145

-24.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$3.34 DOP 200

-36.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.37 DOP 82.5

-6.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$14.5K DOP 872.7K

137.02%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

34.98%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$92.3 DOP 5,545

92.52%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$9.95 DOP 598

39.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$38.80 DOP 2,330

-20.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.93 DOP 296

51.52%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$145 DOP 8,721

444.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,443 DOP 326.9K

125.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$25.87 DOP 1,554

233.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$45.03 DOP 2,705

31.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$60.9 DOP 3,657

127.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$65.0 DOP 3,906

51.95%

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

-0.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Romana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

La Romana

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

La Romana

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

La Romana

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

La Romana

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

La Romana

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

La Romana

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

La Romana

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $41 in La Romana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $236 – making La Romana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 La Romana

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

16:08 4:08 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

567,431

💱 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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Between locations

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

From you

Medellin
La Romana

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 La Romana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 170%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $941 in La Romana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $627 in La Romana. That makes La Romana about 63% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $145 in La Romana. 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 La Romana, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Medellin at $1,692. In La Romana 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 $627 in La Romana to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.