Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Damascus: $869 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$869

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $869 in Damascus versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Damascus $869
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Damascus versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Damascus $1,412
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,954 in Damascus versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Damascus $1,954
Medellin $3,190

Living in Damascus costs roughly 46% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Damascus is 36% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 SYP 1,238

$7.93 COP 25.2K

28.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 SYP 5,209

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-7.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 SYP 835

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-27.68%

Cappuccino

$3.75 SYP 455

$3.11 COP 9,866

20.58%

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

$2.21 SYP 269

$1.83 COP 5,800

20.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$1.38 COP 4,360

-35.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

$3.05 COP 9,672

-32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 SYP 489

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-26.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.45 COP 4,600

-26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 SYP 50.1

$2.36 COP 7,496

-82.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 SYP 184

$1.68 COP 5,328

-9.52%

Eggs

$1.62 SYP 197

$2.86 COP 9,077

-43.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.96 SYP 482

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-61.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 SYP 680

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-41.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 SYP 1,664

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 SYP 129

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-73.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SYP 166

$1.50 COP 4,742

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$2.17 COP 6,891

-47.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 SYP 128

$2.31 COP 7,310

-54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.2

$1.93 COP 6,113

-59.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.5

$1.64 COP 5,196

-51.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.16

$1.13 COP 3,571

-64.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.2

$1.25 COP 3,954

-50.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 SYP 342

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-29.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 SYP 740

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.70 COP 5,384

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 SYP 345

$2.37 COP 7,525

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 SYP 28.02

$1.21 COP 3,827

-80.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.85 SYP 1,198

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-87.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$1.32 COP 4,179

-22.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SYP 179

$2.14 COP 6,774

-30.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 SYP 938

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-8.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.70 SYP 450

$1.30 COP 4,114

184.62%

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

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-47.08%

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-44.92%

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

$138 SYP 16.8K

$172 COP 545.6K

-19.61%

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

$9.86 SYP 1,198

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-26.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.41 SYP 5,518

$28.73 COP 91.1K

58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 SYP 3,363

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-38.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.68 SYP 1,055

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-49.06%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 SYP 675

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-11.46%

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

$66.4 SYP 8,068

$770 COP 2.4M

-91.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,758 SYP 213.6K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-80.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.98 SYP 3,522

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-66.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 SYP 4,907

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-29.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 SYP 7,215

$137 COP 432.9K

-56.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 SYP 7,197

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-39.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 SYP 63.8K

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-50.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 SYP 22.8K

$616 COP 2.0M

-69.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SYP 101.3K

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-55.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 SYP 57.3K

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-53.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,700 SYP 206.6K

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-58.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 SYP 73.8K

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-63.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$72.9 SYP 8,855

$652 COP 2.1M

-88.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

10.94

30.26%

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

Last update for Damascus: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$194 22.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 10.6% $21

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$188 21.6%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 228% $428

Eating Out

Damascus

$178 20.5%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 5.3% $9.4

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$168 19.3%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 75.7% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$85 9.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 101% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$39 4.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 49% $19

Getting Around

Damascus

$19 2.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 387% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $525 in Damascus and $1,055 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 795% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Damascus vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $295 per month, with Damascus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

08:57 8:57 AM

8 h behind Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Damascus Medellin 11,610 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Damascus
Medellin

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Damascus vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damascus and Medellin differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($869 vs $1,614 including rent). Damascus is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 795% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $525 in Damascus versus $1,055 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Damascus – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $869 per month in Damascus versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 86% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $869 in Damascus versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Damascus but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Damascus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Damascus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.