Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Las Terrenas

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $872 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$872

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Las Terrenas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $872 in Las Terrenas.

Medellin $1,692
Las Terrenas $872

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,839 in Las Terrenas.

Medellin $2,471
Las Terrenas $1,839

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,805 in Las Terrenas.

Medellin $3,249
Las Terrenas $2,805

Living in Medellin is roughly 94% more expensive than in Las Terrenas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Las Terrenas is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.51 DOP 511

-2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.2K

$41.42 DOP 2,488

12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.91 DOP 295

92.87%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$0.98 DOP 59.0

219.39%

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

$1.77 COP 5,702

$0.67 DOP 40.51

164.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,599

$0.40 DOP 24.16

255.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.44 DOP 146

29.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.04 DOP 243

41.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,948

$1.02 DOP 61.4

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.08 DOP 64.8

112.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,279

$1.12 DOP 67.1

73.21%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,900

$1.23 DOP 73.8

149.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$6.44 DOP 387

55.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.57 DOP 214

192.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$4.64 DOP 279

200.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.14 DOP 129

89.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,934

$0.64 DOP 38.27

139.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,794

$2.22 DOP 133

-5.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,405

$2.18 DOP 131

5.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,810

$2.14 DOP 128

-1.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,518

$1.13 DOP 67.7

51.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,778

$0.92 DOP 55.4

27.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,101

$1.02 DOP 61.2

54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.68 DOP 281

-16.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$6.91 DOP 415

103.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,688

$2.31 DOP 139

-23.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,756

$1.96 DOP 118

38.27%

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

$2.53 DOP 152

-28.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,874

$3.37 DOP 202

-36.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,117

$1.17 DOP 70.5

9.40%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

73.89%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$23.6K DOP 1.4M

44.42%

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

$178 COP 573.8K

$50.0 DOP 3,005

255.18%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$9.97 DOP 599

39.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.2K

$19.68 DOP 1,182

56.20%

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

$4.90 DOP 294

52.45%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$100 DOP 6,017

688.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$5,396 DOP 324.1K

127.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.7K

$27.31 DOP 1,640

216.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.3K

$44.60 DOP 2,679

32.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.6K

$60.9 DOP 3,656

127.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.0K

$65.1 DOP 3,910

51.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$788 DOP 47.3K

70.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$385 DOP 23.1K

73.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,678 DOP 100.8K

17.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$1,632 DOP 98.0K

-36.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,809 DOP 108.6K

126.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$405 DOP 24.3K

59.72%

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 Las Terrenas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Las Terrenas

$385 44.2% 42.2% $282

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5% 44.8% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Las Terrenas

$80 9.1% 64.2% $143

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Las Terrenas

$119 13.7% 31% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2% 48.3% $83

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2% 79.3% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Las Terrenas

$9.8 * 1.1% 82.8% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $788 in Las Terrenas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 60% 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 $41 in Las Terrenas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $170 per month, with Las Terrenas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🕒 Local time

10:39 10:39 AM

11:39 11:39 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,713

💱 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 = 3,615 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 = 67.24 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Las Terrenas 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Las Terrenas

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 Las Terrenas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 60% 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 $788 in Las Terrenas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $100 in Las Terrenas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Las Terrenas – a meal for two runs $41 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Las Terrenas is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Las Terrenas delivers better value at $872 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Las Terrenas hard to pass up.

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