Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Roseau and Medellin

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.

61

Cost of Living Index in Roseau
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Roseau Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Roseau

🇩🇲 Dominica

$1,259

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Roseau and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Roseau and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Roseau $1,259
Medellin $1,625

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

Roseau $2,123
Medellin $2,412

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

Roseau $2,988
Medellin $3,199

Roseau is about 23% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 EC$20.11

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-10.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$46.91 COP 148.7K

19.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 EC$17.89

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-28.35%

Cappuccino

$4.19 EC$11.31

$3.05 COP 9,676

37.38%

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

$2.41 EC$6.50

$1.80 COP 5,707

33.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 EC$5.86

$1.38 COP 4,382

57.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 EC$4.93

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-43.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 EC$7.19

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-52.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.27 EC$8.82

$1.50 COP 4,760

118.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 EC$5.76

$2.37 COP 7,508

-10.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 EC$3.29

$1.70 COP 5,377

-28.24%

Eggs

$5.44 EC$14.69

$2.96 COP 9,379

83.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.42 EC$6.54

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-76.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.07 EC$29.90

$9.74 COP 30.9K

13.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.03 EC$35.19

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-6.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.58 EC$17.76

$4.13 COP 13.1K

59.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 EC$6.58

$1.53 COP 4,839

59.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.57 EC$12.34

$2.22 COP 7,052

105.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 EC$13.68

$2.27 COP 7,194

123.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.52 EC$9.52

$1.99 COP 6,311

76.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 EC$8.21

$1.67 COP 5,285

82.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 EC$5.70

$1.18 COP 3,742

78.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 EC$7.34

$1.24 COP 3,919

119.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.46 EC$20.15

$3.87 COP 12.3K

92.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 EC$29.44

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 EC$7.10

$1.66 COP 5,256

58.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 EC$8.08

$2.40 COP 7,615

24.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 EC$5.08

$1.24 COP 3,944

51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.4 EC$144

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-31.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 EC$14.54

$1.28 COP 4,044

321.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 EC$7.90

$2.15 COP 6,803

36.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 EC$27.25

$8.37 COP 26.5K

20.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 EC$3.87

$1.35 COP 4,288

5.93%

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

$35.6K EC$96.0K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

2.30%

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

$29.6K EC$80.0K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-14.55%

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

$143 EC$386

$167 COP 528.4K

-14.25%

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

$44.39 EC$120

$13.62 COP 43.2K

225.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.4 EC$190

$29.12 COP 92.3K

141.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 EC$124

$45.09 COP 143.0K

1.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.10 EC$62.4

$17.18 COP 54.5K

34.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.11 EC$21.89

$6.97 COP 22.1K

16.36%

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

$131 EC$353

$790 COP 2.5M

-83.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,365 EC$11.8K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-51.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 EC$150

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-36.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.72 EC$99.1

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-36.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 EC$202

$139 COP 440.7K

-46.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 EC$247

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 EC$778

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-71.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$207 EC$558

$620 COP 2.0M

-66.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 EC$2,381

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-53.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 EC$1,741

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-36.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$123 EC$333

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-96.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$55.5 EC$150

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-96.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$473 EC$1,277

$663 COP 2.1M

-28.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.6

10.94

-30.53%

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

Last update for Roseau: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Roseau

$372 29.6%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 20% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Roseau

$258 20.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 18.7% $48

Accommodation & Living

Roseau

$207 16.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 200% $413

Eating Out

Roseau

$163 12.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 5.1% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Roseau

$116 9.3%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 48.4% $56

Getting Around

Roseau

$81 6.4%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 17.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Roseau

$62 4.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 5% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇩🇲 Roseau

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

1 h behind Roseau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.329 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to XCD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Roseau
Medellin

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

Roseau vs Medellin: 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 $1,888 per month in Roseau and $2,437 in Medellin. 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 $56.0 in Roseau and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,259 in Roseau and $1,625 in Medellin. 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.