Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Name: Santo Domingo
Address: Santo Domingo, EC

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $723 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Santo Domingo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $723 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Santo Domingo $723

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,190 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Santo Domingo $1,190

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,657 in Santo Domingo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Santo Domingo $1,657

Medellin costs about 127% more than Santo Domingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Santo Domingo is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.96 $3.96

104.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$51.5 $51.5

-8.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$9.15 $9.15

3.83%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.98 $1.98

52.02%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.88 $0.88

104.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.73 $0.73

93.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.98 $1.98

60.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.17 $4.17

37.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.02 $1.02

48.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.93 $1.93

23.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.31 $1.31

35.11%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.01 $2.01

43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.34 $4.34

134.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.99 $2.99

230.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$3.54 $3.54

295.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.51 $1.51

162.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.98 $0.98

58.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.01 $1.01

115.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.92 $0.92

136.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.98 $0.98

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.92 $0.92

72.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.82 $0.82

40.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.99 $0.99

25.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.87 $5.87

-32.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.04 $5.04

171.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.50 $1.50

10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.13 $2.13

6.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.33 $0.33

254.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.82 $2.82

-54.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.80 $1.80

13.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$12.11 $12.11

-29.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.90 $0.90

50.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$23.1K $23.1K

47.60%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$30.5K $30.5K

13.64%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$34.76 $34.76

388.06%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$9.83 $9.83

37.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$23.21 $23.21

20.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$32.57 $32.57

34.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$17.80 $17.80

-3.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.55 $7.55

-8.48%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$379 $379

110.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,642 $5,642

61.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$19.97 $19.97

324.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$29.92 $29.92

93.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$50.4 $50.4

167.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$49.26 $49.26

98.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$422 $422

186.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$274 $274

133.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$832 $832

143.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$499 $499

102.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$10.2K $10.2K

-81.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$401 $401

63.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.05

8.86%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Santo Domingo

$274 37.9% 57.2% $367

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Santo Domingo

$145 20.1% 51.1% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4% 67.9% $143

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Santo Domingo

$108 14.9% 36.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3% 60.2% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Santo Domingo

$13 * 1.8% 85.9% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Santo Domingo

$48 6.6% 17.1% $9.9

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 $422 in Santo Domingo. 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 64% 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 $51 in Santo Domingo. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $145 in Santo Domingo – so Santo Domingo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

270,875

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Santo Domingo 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Santo Domingo

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 Santo Domingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 127%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,085 in Santo Domingo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santo Domingo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $422 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $51 in Santo Domingo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Santo Domingo, where all-in costs run around $723, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Santo Domingo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Santo Domingo – 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 Santo Domingo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.