Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between AL Kharj and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in AL Kharj: $961 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

AL Kharj, Saudi Arabia
Medellin, Colombia
AL Kharj
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$961
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in AL Kharj vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $961
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in AL Kharj vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $1,464
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in AL Kharj vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • AL Kharj $1,966
  • Medellin $3,186

AL Kharj is about 41% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

AL Kharj sits 29% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.79 SAR 17.99
$8.09 COP 26.1K
-40.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.43 SAR 99.2
$47.05 COP 151.9K
-43.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.14 SAR 30.56
$9.50 COP 30.7K
-14.32%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 SAR 8.11
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.32 SAR 4.94
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.06 SAR 11.49
$3.01 COP 9,735
1.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 SAR 3.21
$1.80 COP 5,809
-52.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 SAR 0.44
$1.41 COP 4,561
-91.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.18 COP 10.3K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.49 SAR 5.58
$1.51 COP 4,876
-1.32%
White Bread (500g)
$0.28 SAR 1.06
$2.38 COP 7,678
-88.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.44 SAR 9.17
$1.77 COP 5,720
37.85%
Eggs
$2.12 SAR 7.95
$2.89 COP 9,333
-26.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.38 SAR 38.96
$10.19 COP 32.9K
1.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 SAR 18.59
$9.87 COP 31.9K
-49.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.09 SAR 49.13
$13.99 COP 45.2K
-6.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 SAR 6.43
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-56.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 SAR 5.15
$1.55 COP 5,012
-11.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.23 SAR 4.60
$2.18 COP 7,048
-43.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.38 SAR 5.18
$2.18 COP 7,051
-36.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.06 SAR 3.97
$1.96 COP 6,337
-45.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.05 SAR 3.94
$1.59 COP 5,132
-33.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 SAR 2.05
$1.15 COP 3,699
-52.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 SAR 2.02
$1.24 COP 4,014
-56.45%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.20 SAR 8.26
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 SAR 9.28
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.45 SAR 24.21
$3.96 COP 12.8K
62.88%
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
-
🚌 Getting Around
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.17 COP 3,771
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.07 SAR 86.6
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-70.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.66 SAR 9.97
$1.27 COP 4,094
109.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.51 SAR 1.90
$2.05 COP 6,612
-75.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.22 SAR 49.60
$8.55 COP 27.6K
54.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.61 SAR 2.27
$1.35 COP 4,349
-54.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K SAR 100.0K
$34.1K COP 110.0M
-21.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K SAR 84.3K
$34.7K COP 111.9M
-35.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$107 SAR 400
$170 COP 547.8K
-37.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.42 SAR 99.2
$13.55 COP 43.8K
94.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.6 SAR 190
$28.07 COP 90.6K
80.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$72.4 SAR 272
$43.70 COP 141.1K
65.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$40.69 SAR 153
$17.19 COP 55.5K
136.71%
Cinema Ticket
$13.41 SAR 50.3
$6.91 COP 22.3K
94.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$289 SAR 1,084
$797 COP 2.6M
-63.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,810 SAR 14.3K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
-58.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 SAR 216
$84.7 COP 273.5K
-32.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 SAR 197
$58.0 COP 187.2K
-9.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.60 SAR 175
$135 COP 435.8K
-65.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.9 SAR 296
$97.9 COP 316.0K
-19.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$692 SAR 2,597
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-42.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$267 SAR 1,002
$642 COP 2.1M
-58.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$590 SAR 2,214
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-70.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$461 SAR 1,729
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-54.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
AL Kharj
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,793 SAR 10.5K
$657 COP 2.1M
324.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
10.94
-49.36%

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

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
AL Kharj
$267
Medellin
$642 140% $375
Monthly Utilities & Internet
AL Kharj
$184
Medellin
$211 15% $28
Groceries & Markets
AL Kharj
$174
Medellin
$297 71% $123
Clothing & Footwear
AL Kharj
$106
Medellin
$169 59.5% $63
Eating Out
AL Kharj
$103
Medellin
$170 64% $66
Sport & Entertainment
AL Kharj
$99
Medellin
$58 42% $42
Getting Around
AL Kharj
$28 *
Medellin
$94 231% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $692 in AL Kharj 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 in AL Kharj are about 4.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in AL Kharj versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $297 – making AL Kharj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 AL Kharj
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
03:36 3:36 AM
19:36 7:36 PM
8 h behind AL Kharj
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
425,300
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • AL Kharj Medellin 12,970 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • AL Kharj
  • 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
AL Kharj vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in AL Kharj and in Medellin compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $961 in AL Kharj, $1,639 in Medellin – AL Kharj comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in AL Kharj compared to Medellin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in AL Kharj and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between AL Kharj and Medellin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in AL Kharj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $692 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
What is the difference in childcare costs between AL Kharj and Medellin?
Kindergarten costs $289 per month in AL Kharj and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 71% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in AL Kharj, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Medellin at $1,639. In AL Kharj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: AL Kharj or Medellin?
Families tend to lean toward AL Kharj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Where should expats move: AL Kharj or Medellin?
For expats, AL Kharj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 41% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

AL Kharj vs other spots: cost of living compared

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