Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samana and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Samana: $716 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Samana
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Samana Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Samana

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$716

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samana 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 Samana and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $716 per month in Samana vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Samana $716
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,174 per month in Samana vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Samana $1,174
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,631 per month in Samana vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Samana $1,631
Medellin $3,186

Samana is about 56% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 DOP 498

$8.09 COP 26.1K

2.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.23 DOP 2,477

$47.05 COP 151.8K

-12.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 DOP 428

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-24.95%

Cappuccino

$1.81 DOP 109

$3.01 COP 9,729

-39.87%

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

$0.71 DOP 42.61

$1.80 COP 5,806

-60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 DOP 22.83

$1.41 COP 4,558

-73.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 DOP 151

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-21.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 DOP 234

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-32.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 DOP 72.4

$1.51 COP 4,873

-20.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 DOP 105

$2.38 COP 7,673

-26.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 DOP 91.9

$1.77 COP 5,716

-13.56%

Eggs

$1.44 DOP 86.6

$2.89 COP 9,327

-50.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.05 DOP 364

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-40.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 DOP 209

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-64.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.68 DOP 281

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-66.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 DOP 216

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-9.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 DOP 82.3

$1.55 COP 5,009

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 DOP 200

$2.18 COP 7,044

52.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 DOP 110

$2.18 COP 7,047

-16.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.39 DOP 204

$1.96 COP 6,333

72.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.94 DOP 177

$1.59 COP 5,129

84.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 DOP 52.4

$1.15 COP 3,696

-24.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 DOP 96.1

$1.24 COP 4,012

29.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 DOP 279

$3.96 COP 12.8K

17.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 DOP 486

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-40.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 DOP 172

$1.66 COP 5,356

72.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 DOP 204

$2.26 COP 7,286

50.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 DOP 47.58

$1.17 COP 3,769

-32.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 DOP 148

$1.27 COP 4,092

94.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 DOP 195

$2.05 COP 6,608

58.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 DOP 72.7

$1.35 COP 4,346

-10.37%

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

$14.7K DOP 883.2K

$34.1K COP 109.9M

-56.85%

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

$25.5K DOP 1.5M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-26.58%

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

$92.4 DOP 5,550

$170 COP 547.5K

-45.55%

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

$16.64 DOP 1,000

$13.55 COP 43.7K

22.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.70 DOP 2,265

$28.07 COP 90.6K

34.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 DOP 299

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-27.93%

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

$146 DOP 8,778

$797 COP 2.6M

-81.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,398 DOP 324.3K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-40.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.36 DOP 1,583

$84.7 COP 273.4K

-68.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 DOP 2,730

$58.0 COP 187.0K

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.1 DOP 3,729

$135 COP 435.5K

-54.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.9 DOP 3,897

$97.9 COP 315.8K

-33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$132 DOP 7,931

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-89.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$98.3 DOP 5,906

$642 COP 2.1M

-84.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$324 DOP 19.5K

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-84.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 DOP 14.7K

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-75.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

0.55%

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

Last update for Samana: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Samana

$216 30.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 37.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samana

$147 20.5%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 44% $65

Eating Out

Samana

$134 18.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 26.4% $35

Accommodation & Living

Samana

$98 13.7%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 553% $543

Clothing & Footwear

Samana

$89 12.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 89% $80

Getting Around

Samana

$22 * 3.1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 328% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Samana

$10 * 1.4%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 478% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $132 in Samana versus $1,208 in Medellin. 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 $41 in Samana versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $216 vs $297 – making Samana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Samana

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

02:56 2:56 AM

1 h behind Samana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,179

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.08 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Samana Medellin 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Samana
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

Samana vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 129%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,074 per month in Samana and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $132 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Samana and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Samana, where all-in costs run around $716, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Samana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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