Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawalli and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $667 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
Learn more

Hawalli Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$667

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $667 per month in Hawalli vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Hawalli $667
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,779 per month in Hawalli vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Hawalli $2,779
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Hawalli vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Hawalli $4,892
Medellin $3,190

Hawalli is about 59% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hawalli sits 51% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.89 KWD 1.51

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-38.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 KWD 19.97

$46.13 COP 146.3K

40.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 KWD 2.70

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-7.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$4.79 KWD 1.48

$3.11 COP 9,866

54.02%

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

$0.44 KWD 0.14

$1.83 COP 5,800

-75.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$1.38 COP 4,360

-78.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$1.45 COP 4,600

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 KWD 0.47

$2.36 COP 7,496

-35.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.96 KWD 0.60

$1.68 COP 5,328

16.67%

Eggs

$2.08 KWD 0.64

$2.86 COP 9,077

-27.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.14 KWD 0.97

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-69.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 KWD 1.45

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-50.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.27 KWD 1.01

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-76.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 KWD 0.76

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-39.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 KWD 0.58

$1.50 COP 4,742

26.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KWD 0.54

$2.17 COP 6,891

-18.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$2.31 COP 7,310

-36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 KWD 0.40

$1.93 COP 6,113

-32.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 KWD 0.44

$1.64 COP 5,196

-13.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 KWD 0.72

$1.13 COP 3,571

107.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 KWD 0.16

$1.25 COP 3,954

-57.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 KWD 0.84

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-31.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 KWD 0.26

$1.21 COP 3,827

-31.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.05 KWD 15.11

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-35.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.73 KWD 1.46

$1.32 COP 4,179

258.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.29 KWD 1.01

$2.14 COP 6,774

53.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.74 KWD 4.85

$8.47 COP 26.8K

85.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$1.30 COP 4,114

-73.08%

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

$21.0K KWD 6,484

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-24.80%

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

$20.3K KWD 6,246

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-42.76%

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

$66.5 KWD 20.49

$172 COP 545.6K

-61.36%

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

$22.61 KWD 6.97

$13.37 COP 42.4K

69.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.42 KWD 7.83

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-11.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.8 KWD 19.66

$45.24 COP 143.5K

41.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.40 KWD 3.51

$6.28 COP 19.9K

81.53%

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

$299 KWD 92.1

$770 COP 2.4M

-61.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,529 KWD 2,936

$9,011 COP 28.6M

5.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.80 KWD 9.80

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-63.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.08 KWD 12.04

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-31.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 KWD 30.09

$137 COP 432.9K

-28.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 KWD 27.45

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-9.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,238 KWD 998

$1,023 COP 3.2M

216.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,865 KWD 575

$652 COP 2.1M

185.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

10.94

-40.31%

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

Last update for Hawalli: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hawalli

$151 22.6%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 95.5% $144

Eating Out

Hawalli

$126 18.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 33.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Hawalli

$116 17.4%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 46.7% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawalli

$115 17.2%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 87% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Hawalli

$87 13%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 33.3% $29

Getting Around

Hawalli

$74 11%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 26.9% $20

Accommodation & Living

Hawalli

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 186% higher in Hawalli, 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 $65.0 in Hawalli versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $151 in Hawalli vs $295 in Medellin – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

23:13 11:13 PM

8 h behind Hawalli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,212

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 KWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawalli Medellin 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawalli
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

Hawalli vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $667 in Hawalli, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Hawalli and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hawalli and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hawalli has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $667 in Hawalli to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hawalli. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.