Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nagua

For one person, living is cheaper in Nagua: $643 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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

$1,639

/mo nomad

Nagua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nagua

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $643 in Nagua, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Nagua $643

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,035 in Nagua, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Nagua $1,035

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,427 in Nagua, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Nagua $1,427

Medellin costs about 155% more than Nagua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Nagua is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.94 DOP 480

1.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$41.57 DOP 2,512

13.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.07 DOP 427

34.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.80 DOP 109

67.22%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.66 DOP 39.90

172.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.40 DOP 24.20

252.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.51 DOP 152

26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.05 DOP 245

41.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.15 DOP 69.4

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.70 DOP 103

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.47 DOP 88.5

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.47 DOP 89.1

96.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.08 DOP 367

67.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$3.53 DOP 213

179.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$4.76 DOP 288

193.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.69 DOP 223

7.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.42 DOP 86.0

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$3.33 DOP 201

-34.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.22 DOP 134

-1.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$3.51 DOP 212

-44.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.93 DOP 177

-45.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.86 DOP 51.7

33.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$1.57 DOP 95.0

-21.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.66 DOP 282

-15.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$16.20 DOP 979

-15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.86 DOP 173

-41.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.46 DOP 209

-34.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.52 DOP 152

-49.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$3.35 DOP 202

-38.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.44 DOP 87.1

-6.25%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$14.8K DOP 895.5K

129.86%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$25.3K DOP 1.5M

36.96%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$94.5 DOP 5,707

79.62%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$26.78 DOP 1,618

-49.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$38.59 DOP 2,332

-27.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.90 DOP 296

41.02%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$146 DOP 8,842

444.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,401 DOP 326.3K

68.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$25.67 DOP 1,551

230.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$44.50 DOP 2,689

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$62.3 DOP 3,765

116.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$64.9 DOP 3,920

50.85%

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 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Nagua: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Nagua

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Nagua

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Nagua

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Nagua

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Nagua

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Nagua

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Nagua

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $42 in Nagua. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Nagua the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Nagua

🕒 Local time

04:08 4:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

79,420

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,598 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 60.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.43 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Nagua 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nagua

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 Nagua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 155%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $965 in Nagua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in Nagua. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Nagua, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Nagua 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 $643 in Nagua to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.