Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sosua

For one person, living is cheaper in Sosua: $1,424 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Medellin despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Sosua
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Sosua Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sosua

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sosua

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,424 in Sosua, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sosua $1,424

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,228 in Sosua, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sosua $2,228

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,033 in Sosua, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sosua $3,033

Medellin costs about 15% more than Sosua, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Sosua sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sosua by 5%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.80 DOP 592

-17.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$49.65 DOP 3,000

-5.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.26 DOP 439

30.85%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.26 DOP 137

33.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.01 DOP 61.2

78.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.55 DOP 33.11

156.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.41 DOP 146

31.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.27 DOP 198

75.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.32 DOP 79.7

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.50 DOP 90.4

58.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.63 DOP 38.30

180.95%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.99 DOP 120

45.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.22 DOP 436

41.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.63 DOP 340

75.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$6.46 DOP 390

116.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.03 DOP 183

31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$0.76 DOP 45.93

103.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.64 DOP 159

-17.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.23 DOP 74.3

77.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.74 DOP 105

12.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.24 DOP 135

-29.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.68 DOP 40.95

69.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.40 DOP 24.04

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.33 DOP 322

-25.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$10.30 DOP 622

32.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$2.49 DOP 150

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.31 DOP 139

-2.16%

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

$3.21 DOP 194

-60.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$2.16 DOP 131

-5.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.89 DOP 356

45.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.26 DOP 76.4

7.14%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$28.6K DOP 1.7M

19.16%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$34.4K DOP 2.1M

0.93%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$65.5 DOP 3,957

159.05%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$27.83 DOP 1,682

-51.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$32.55 DOP 1,967

-13.76%

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

$7.30 DOP 441

-5.34%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$245 DOP 14.8K

225.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,347 DOP 443.9K

24.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$45.48 DOP 2,748

86.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$45.68 DOP 2,760

26.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$84.7 DOP 5,115

59.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$125 DOP 7,553

-21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$851 DOP 51.4K

41.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$783 DOP 47.3K

-18.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,722 DOP 104.1K

17.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,511 DOP 91.3K

-33.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,828 DOP 110.5K

128.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,705 DOP 103.0K

12.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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 25, 2026

Last update for Sosua: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sosua

$783 55% 22% $141

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sosua

$199 14% 33% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sosua

$126 8.8% 40.4% $85

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sosua

$152 10.7% 10.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sosua

$135 9.5% 19.9% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sosua

$14 * 1% 85% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sosua

$15 * 1% 74.6% $43

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 $851 in Sosua. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $50 in Sosua. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $199 in Sosua – so Sosua wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇩🇴 Sosua

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

12:33 12:33 PM

1 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,713

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 60.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.46 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sosua 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sosua

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 Sosua: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 15%, 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 $2,136 in Sosua. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sosua, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $851 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $50 in Sosua. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,424 in Sosua. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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