Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Roatan

For one person, living is cheaper in Roatan: $1,228 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Roatan
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Roatan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Roatan

🇭🇳 Honduras

$1,228

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Roatan

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,228 in Roatan, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Roatan $1,228

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,000 in Roatan, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Roatan $2,000

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,773 in Roatan, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Roatan $2,773

Medellin costs about 34% more than Roatan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Roatan is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$8.18 HNL 220

-1.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$40.19 HNL 1,080

17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.59 HNL 231

10.59%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.28 HNL 115

-29.67%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.95 HNL 25.49

89.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.86 HNL 23.21

63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.51 HNL 67.6

26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.15 HNL 138

11.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.44 HNL 38.73

4.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$3.15 HNL 84.8

-24.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.46 HNL 66.2

-28.05%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.97 HNL 53.0

46.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.17 HNL 300

-8.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.46 HNL 174

52.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.61 HNL 473

-20.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.12 HNL 30.10

38.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.12 HNL 30.18

94.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.52 HNL 14.04

319.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.63 HNL 43.84

20.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.49 HNL 40.10

6.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.17 HNL 31.41

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$2.93 HNL 78.8

-57.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.92 HNL 78.4

35.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.91 HNL 212

72.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.33 HNL 35.77

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.59 HNL 69.5

-12.74%

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

$2.06 HNL 55.3

-38.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$10.14 HNL 272

-15.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.03 HNL 27.63

31.07%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$29.5K HNL 793.4K

17.40%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$99.6 HNL 2,675

-71.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$61.2 HNL 1,644

-28.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$505 HNL 13.6K

57.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$40.37 HNL 1,084

109.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$19.93 HNL 535

190.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$39.69 HNL 1,066

240.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$50.2 HNL 1,349

94.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$838 HNL 22.5K

44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$553 HNL 14.9K

15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,968 HNL 52.9K

3.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,236 HNL 33.2K

-18.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,906 HNL 51.2K

118.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,323 HNL 35.5K

44.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$497 HNL 13.3K

32.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-39.22%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Roatan: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Roatan

$553 45.1% 13.8% $88

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Roatan

$272 * 22.1% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Roatan

$100 * 8.1% 52.9% $112

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Roatan

$173 14.1% 1.8% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Roatan

$68 5.5% 60% $101

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Roatan

$2.1 * 0.2% 97.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Roatan

$61 * 5% 6.4% $3.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $838 in Roatan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $40 in Roatan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $272 – making Roatan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇭🇳 Roatan

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

1 h behind Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

17,425

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Honduran Lempira HNL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 HNL = 3.72 USD

100 HNL = 3.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HNL, 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 = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Honduran Lempira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 26.87 HNL (100 HNL = 3.72 USD). 1 EUR = 29.9 HNL (100 HNL = 3.34 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Roatan 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Roatan

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 Roatan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, 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 $1,842 in Roatan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roatan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $838 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Roatan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roatan, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Roatan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Roatan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Roatan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.