Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,217 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,217 in Ad Dammam versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Ad Dammam $1,217
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,838 in Ad Dammam versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Ad Dammam $1,838
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,460 in Ad Dammam versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Ad Dammam $2,460
Medellin $3,186

Living in Ad Dammam costs roughly 26% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ad Dammam is 11% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.12 SAR 26.74

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-11.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.16 SAR 128

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-27.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 SAR 25.60

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-28.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.33

$3.01 COP 9,735

0.33%

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

$0.78 SAR 2.94

$1.80 COP 5,809

-56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 SAR 0.63

$1.41 COP 4,561

-87.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.51 COP 4,876

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$2.38 COP 7,678

-45.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.29

$1.77 COP 5,720

9.60%

Eggs

$2.18 SAR 8.20

$2.89 COP 9,333

-24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.60 SAR 28.53

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-25.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.83 SAR 29.37

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-20.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.92

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 SAR 8.33

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-44.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.42

$1.55 COP 5,012

10.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

$2.18 COP 7,048

-24.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$2.18 COP 7,051

-27.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$1.96 COP 6,337

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.35

$1.59 COP 5,132

-27.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

$1.15 COP 3,699

15.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SAR 2.31

$1.24 COP 4,014

-50.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.58 SAR 28.46

$3.96 COP 12.8K

91.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$1.17 COP 3,771

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.54 SAR 145

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-50.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$1.27 COP 4,094

115.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.28

$2.05 COP 6,612

33.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.10 SAR 49.16

$8.55 COP 27.6K

53.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.40

$1.35 COP 4,349

-52.59%

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

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-14.66%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-38.11%

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

$131 SAR 493

$170 COP 547.8K

-22.62%

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

$32.48 SAR 122

$13.55 COP 43.8K

139.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.9 SAR 236

$28.07 COP 90.6K

123.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 SAR 273

$43.70 COP 141.1K

66.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.56 SAR 107

$17.19 COP 55.5K

66.14%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$6.91 COP 22.3K

95.95%

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

$416 SAR 1,560

$797 COP 2.6M

-47.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-11.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 SAR 158

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-50.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.5 SAR 189

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-12.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 361

$135 COP 435.8K

-28.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 SAR 348

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-5.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,008

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-55.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 SAR 1,450

$642 COP 2.1M

-39.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$970 SAR 3,641

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-52.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 SAR 2,513

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-33.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$962 SAR 3,611

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-76.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$707 SAR 2,653

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-63.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,475 SAR 5,537

$657 COP 2.1M

124.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

10.94

-46.07%

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

Last update for Ad Dammam: 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

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 66% $255

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 6.8% $15

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 47.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 33.5% $42

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 44.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 42.4% $42

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 59.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $535 in Ad Dammam and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $201 vs $297 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

8 h behind Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ad Dammam Medellin 13,130 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
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

Ad Dammam vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ad Dammam is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $535 in Ad Dammam versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,217 per month in Ad Dammam versus $1,639 in Medellin – Ad Dammam is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 50% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.