Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and San Francisco de Macoris

For one person, living is cheaper in San Francisco de Macoris: $694 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in San Francisco de Macoris
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San Francisco de Macoris Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

San Francisco de Macoris

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in San Francisco de Macoris

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 San Francisco de Macoris actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $694 in San Francisco de Macoris, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
San Francisco de Macoris $694

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,144 in San Francisco de Macoris, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
San Francisco de Macoris $1,144

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,595 in San Francisco de Macoris, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
San Francisco de Macoris $1,595

Medellin costs about 133% more than San Francisco de Macoris, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while San Francisco de Macoris is 49% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

$9.74 DOP 595

-18.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.3K

$49.20 DOP 3,005

-6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

$7.53 DOP 460

26.16%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,933

$2.19 DOP 134

42.01%

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

$1.83 COP 5,839

$1.00 DOP 61.3

83.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,389

$0.54 DOP 33.23

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,737

$2.44 DOP 149

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$3.15 DOP 192

74.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,631

$1.39 DOP 84.9

4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,547

$1.47 DOP 90.0

60.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,365

$1.59 DOP 97.3

5.66%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,139

$2.38 DOP 146

20.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

$7.16 DOP 437

42.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

$5.40 DOP 330

76.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

$6.43 DOP 392

118.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

$3.10 DOP 189

31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,774

$0.81 DOP 49.55

85.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,938

$2.65 DOP 162

-18.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,359

$1.84 DOP 113

25.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,155

$1.96 DOP 120

-1.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,231

$2.17 DOP 133

-24.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,595

$0.99 DOP 60.4

14.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,981

$1.02 DOP 62.2

22.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$5.24 DOP 320

-23.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

$10.46 DOP 639

27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,420

$2.57 DOP 157

-33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,576

$2.99 DOP 183

-20.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,853

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 244.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,208

$3.24 DOP 198

-59.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,820

$2.27 DOP 139

-5.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

$5.60 DOP 342

51.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,142

$1.45 DOP 88.3

-10.34%

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

$28.0K COP 89.3M

$23.4K DOP 1.4M

19.45%

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

$35.4K COP 113.0M

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

6.76%

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

$172 COP 549.3K

$91.2 DOP 5,569

88.70%

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

$13.37 COP 42.7K

$31.66 DOP 1,934

-57.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.7K

$36.44 DOP 2,226

-21.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.4K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.1K

$7.28 DOP 445

-13.74%

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

$770 COP 2.5M

$250 DOP 15.3K

207.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.8M

$7,404 DOP 452.2K

21.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.8K

$45.90 DOP 2,803

88.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.4K

$46.47 DOP 2,838

22.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.8K

$84.8 DOP 5,181

60.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.5K

$123 DOP 7,537

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 13.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.56

-19.32%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for San Francisco de Macoris: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

San Francisco de Macoris

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

San Francisco de Macoris

$219 31.5% 25.8% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

San Francisco de Macoris

$159 23% 25.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

San Francisco de Macoris

$135 19.5% 20.5% $35

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

San Francisco de Macoris

$152 21.8% 10% $17

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

San Francisco de Macoris

$15 * 2.1% 84.4% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

San Francisco de Macoris

$15 * 2.1% 74.8% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $49.00 in San Francisco de Macoris. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $219 in San Francisco de Macoris – so San Francisco de Macoris wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 San Francisco de Macoris

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

245,397

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.13 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

100 DOP = 1.64 USD

100 DOP = 1.46 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 October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3,192 COP (10,000 COP = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 3,575 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 61.07 DOP (100 DOP = 1.64 USD). 1 EUR = 68.39 DOP (100 DOP = 1.46 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin San Francisco de Macoris 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
San Francisco de Macoris

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 San Francisco de Macoris: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 133%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,041 in San Francisco de Macoris. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $49.00 in San Francisco de Macoris. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in San Francisco de Macoris, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Medellin at $1,614. In San Francisco de Macoris it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward San Francisco de Macoris – 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 San Francisco de Macoris. 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.