Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Roseau

For one person, living is cheaper in Roseau: $1,259 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
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Roseau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,259

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Roseau

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,259 in Roseau, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Roseau $1,259

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,123 in Roseau, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Roseau $2,123

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $2,988 in Roseau, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Roseau $2,988

Medellin costs about 29% more than Roseau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Roseau is 7% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$7.45 EC$20.11

11.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$56.2 EC$152

-16.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.62 EC$17.89

39.58%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$4.19 EC$11.31

-27.21%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$2.41 EC$6.50

-25.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$2.17 EC$5.86

-36.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.83 EC$4.93

77.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.66 EC$7.19

109.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$3.27 EC$8.82

-54.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$2.13 EC$5.76

11.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.22 EC$3.29

39.34%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$5.44 EC$14.69

-45.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$2.42 EC$6.54

322.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$11.07 EC$29.90

-12.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$13.03 EC$35.19

6.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$6.58 EC$17.76

-37.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.44 EC$6.58

-37.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.57 EC$12.34

-51.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$5.07 EC$13.68

-55.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$3.52 EC$9.52

-43.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$3.04 EC$8.21

-45.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$2.11 EC$5.70

-44.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$2.72 EC$7.34

-54.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$7.46 EC$20.15

-48.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$10.91 EC$29.44

26.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$2.63 EC$7.10

-36.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.99 EC$8.08

-19.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$1.88 EC$5.08

-34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$53.4 EC$144

46.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$5.39 EC$14.54

-76.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$2.93 EC$7.90

-26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$10.09 EC$27.25

-17.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.43 EC$3.87

-5.59%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$35.6K EC$96.0K

-2.25%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$29.6K EC$80.0K

17.03%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$143 EC$386

16.61%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$44.39 EC$120

-69.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$70.4 EC$190

-58.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$45.93 EC$124

-1.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$23.10 EC$62.4

-25.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$8.11 EC$21.89

-14.06%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$131 EC$353

504.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$4,365 EC$11.8K

107.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$55.7 EC$150

57.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$36.72 EC$99.1

58.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$74.7 EC$202

86.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$91.5 EC$247

8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$288 EC$778

256.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$207 EC$558

199.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$882 EC$2,381

113.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$645 EC$1,741

56.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$123 EC$333

3136.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$55.5 EC$150

2968.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$473 EC$1,277

40.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.6

43.95%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Roseau: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Roseau

$207 16.4% 66.6% $413

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Roseau

$372 29.6% 24.9% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Roseau

$258 20.5% 23% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Roseau

$116 9.3% 32.6% $56

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Roseau

$163 12.9% 4.9% $8.3

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Roseau

$81 6.4% 15% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Roseau

$62 4.9% 5.3% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $288 in Roseau. 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 40% 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $56.0 in Roseau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $372 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇲 Roseau

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

10:22 10:22 AM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.04 XCD (1 XCD = 0.329 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Roseau 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Roseau

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 Roseau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,888 in Roseau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roseau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $56.0 in Roseau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $1,259 in Roseau. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Roseau, where all-in costs run around $1,259, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Roseau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Roseau. 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.