Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo, Ecuador and Medellin

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.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
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Santo Domingo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Santo Domingo

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$723

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Santo Domingo $723
Medellin $1,639

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

Santo Domingo $1,190
Medellin $2,413

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

Santo Domingo $1,657
Medellin $3,186

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 $3.96

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-51.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.5 $51.5

$47.05 COP 148.0K

9.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 $9.15

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-3.68%

Cappuccino

$1.98 $1.98

$3.01 COP 9,485

-34.22%

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

$0.88 $0.88

$1.80 COP 5,660

-51.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.41 COP 4,443

-48.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$3.18 COP 9,990

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 $4.17

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-27.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.51 COP 4,751

-32.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 $1.93

$2.38 COP 7,480

-18.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.77 COP 5,573

-25.99%

Eggs

$2.01 $2.01

$2.89 COP 9,093

-30.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-57.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-69.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-74.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-61.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.55 COP 4,883

-36.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.18 COP 6,867

-53.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$2.18 COP 6,870

-57.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.96 COP 6,174

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.59 COP 5,000

-42.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 $0.82

$1.15 COP 3,604

-28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.24 COP 3,911

-20.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.96 COP 12.5K

48.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 $5.04

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-63.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$1.66 COP 5,221

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 $2.13

$2.26 COP 7,103

-5.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.17 COP 3,674

-71.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.27 COP 3,989

122.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 $1.80

$2.05 COP 6,442

-12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.11 $12.11

$8.55 COP 26.9K

41.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.35 COP 4,237

-33.33%

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

$23.1K $23.1K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-32.25%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-12.00%

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

$34.76 $34.76

$170 COP 533.7K

-79.51%

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

$9.83 $9.83

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-27.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.21 $23.21

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-17.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.57 $32.57

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-25.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.80 $17.80

$17.19 COP 54.1K

3.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 $7.55

$6.91 COP 21.7K

9.26%

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

$379 $379

$797 COP 2.5M

-52.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,642 $5,642

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-38.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.97 $19.97

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-76.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.92 $29.92

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-48.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.4 $50.4

$135 COP 424.6K

-62.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.26 $49.26

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-49.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 $422

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-65.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 $274

$642 COP 2.0M

-57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 $832

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-58.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-50.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

433.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$401 $401

$657 COP 2.1M

-38.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

10.94

-8.14%

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

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$274 37.9%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 134% $367

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$145 20.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 105% $152

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$108 14.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 57.6% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$68 9.4%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 212% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$67 9.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 151% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$48 6.6%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 20.7% $9.9

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$13 * 1.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 611% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in Santo Domingo 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.

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 $51 in Santo Domingo versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $145 in Santo Domingo vs $297 in Medellin – so Santo Domingo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Santo Domingo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

Same time as Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,875

2,486,723

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

COP to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Santo Domingo
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

Santo Domingo vs Medellin: 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 $1,085 per month in Santo Domingo 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 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 $51 in Santo Domingo and $47 in Medellin. 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.