Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Khobar and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,435 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,435

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,435 in Al Khobar versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Al Khobar $1,435
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,239 in Al Khobar versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Al Khobar $2,239
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,043 in Al Khobar versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Al Khobar $3,043
Medellin $3,139

Living in Al Khobar costs roughly 10% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Al Khobar 7% above, Medellin 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.78 SAR 25.46

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-15.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 SAR 221

$46.55 COP 148.3K

26.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 SAR 30.34

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-14.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 SAR 10.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 SAR 10.19

Cappuccino

$4.51 SAR 16.92

$2.91 COP 9,277

54.98%

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

$0.92 SAR 3.45

$1.75 COP 5,585

-47.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 SAR 1.52

$1.32 COP 4,218

-69.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 SAR 6.38

$1.41 COP 4,495

20.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$2.44 COP 7,777

-48.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 SAR 9.59

$1.63 COP 5,191

56.44%

Eggs

$2.40 SAR 9.01

$2.82 COP 8,990

-14.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 SAR 26.69

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-26.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.30 SAR 38.68

$9.32 COP 29.7K

10.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.59 SAR 43.52

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 SAR 10.40

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-30.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.48 COP 4,719

20.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$2.12 COP 6,768

-6.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.86

$2.25 COP 7,178

-18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

$1.91 COP 6,092

-28.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 SAR 6.26

$1.62 COP 5,160

3.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$1.15 COP 3,658

46.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 SAR 2.05

$1.26 COP 4,021

-56.35%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 SAR 7.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 SAR 24.84

$3.82 COP 12.2K

73.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 SAR 2.77

$1.17 COP 3,731

-36.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 SAR 252

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-10.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 SAR 12.68

$1.27 COP 4,056

166.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 SAR 10.20

$2.05 COP 6,531

32.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.84 SAR 25.67

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-16.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.27 COP 4,046

-49.61%

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

$66.1K SAR 248.1K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

146.72%

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

$22.6K SAR 84.8K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-34.38%

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

$99.2 SAR 372

$162 COP 516.9K

-38.86%

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

$32.92 SAR 124

$13.12 COP 41.8K

150.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.7 SAR 262

$28.09 COP 89.5K

147.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.9 SAR 304

$44.33 COP 141.2K

82.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.24 SAR 136

$16.33 COP 52.0K

121.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 SAR 57.1

$6.09 COP 19.4K

149.92%

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

$602 SAR 2,262

$764 COP 2.4M

-21.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,315 SAR 31.2K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-6.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 SAR 236

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-26.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.7 SAR 314

$57.5 COP 183.2K

45.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 SAR 362

$132 COP 419.8K

-26.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.4 SAR 347

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 SAR 2,370

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-38.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 SAR 1,929

$604 COP 1.9M

-15.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 SAR 4,410

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-34.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$855 SAR 3,209

$993 COP 3.2M

-13.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,388 SAR 8,966

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-39.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,463 SAR 5,495

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-10.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,872 SAR 7,028

$626 COP 2.0M

198.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

10.94

-46.25%

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

Last update for Al Khobar: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Khobar

$514 36.1%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 17.7% $91

Groceries & Markets

Al Khobar

$219 15.4%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 31.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Khobar

$202 14.2%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Al Khobar

$151 10.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 10.4% $16

Eating Out

Al Khobar

$138 9.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 20.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Al Khobar

$111 7.8%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 49.3% $55

Getting Around

Al Khobar

$87 6.1%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 4.9% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $631 in Al Khobar and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 199% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Al Khobar vs $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries flip the comparison at $219 vs $288, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

8 h behind Al Khobar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,679

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al Khobar Medellin 13,150 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Al Khobar
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 Khobar vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 199% higher in Al Khobar, 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: $631 in Al Khobar versus $1,028 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Al Khobar runs roughly 12% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $602 in Al Khobar versus $764 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,435 in Al Khobar versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Khobar but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Al Khobar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al Khobar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,435 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Khobar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Al Khobar and Medellin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al Khobar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.