Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeddah: $1,360 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,360

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,360 per month in Jeddah vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Jeddah $1,360
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,168 per month in Jeddah vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Jeddah $2,168
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,975 per month in Jeddah vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Jeddah $2,975
Medellin $3,139

Jeddah is about 14% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jeddah and Medellin sit above the global median – Jeddah by 2%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.04 SAR 22.68

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-24.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 SAR 300

$46.55 COP 148.3K

71.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 SAR 32.85

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-7.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 SAR 9.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SAR 9.88

Cappuccino

$3.77 SAR 14.16

$2.91 COP 9,277

29.55%

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

$0.97 SAR 3.65

$1.75 COP 5,585

-44.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.90

$1.32 COP 4,218

-81.82%

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)

$1.67 SAR 6.28

$1.41 COP 4,495

18.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 SAR 4.99

$2.44 COP 7,777

-45.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 SAR 8.89

$1.63 COP 5,191

45.40%

Eggs

$2.48 SAR 9.31

$2.82 COP 8,990

-12.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.36 SAR 23.89

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-34.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-14.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.31 SAR 49.98

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-1.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 SAR 7.90

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-47.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

$1.48 COP 4,719

19.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 SAR 5.80

$2.12 COP 6,768

-27.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.36

$2.25 COP 7,178

-24.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 SAR 4.26

$1.91 COP 6,092

-40.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.62 COP 5,160

-20.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 SAR 4.22

$1.15 COP 3,658

-2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.87

$1.26 COP 4,021

-60.32%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.23 SAR 15.90

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 SAR 6.92

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.70

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 SAR 25.77

$3.82 COP 12.2K

79.58%

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)

$0.89 SAR 3.35

$1.17 COP 3,731

-23.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 SAR 208

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-26.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 SAR 11.69

$1.27 COP 4,056

144.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

$2.05 COP 6,531

-13.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.12 SAR 53.0

$8.20 COP 26.1K

72.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.21

$1.27 COP 4,046

-53.54%

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

$47.7K SAR 179.0K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

78.01%

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

$21.4K SAR 80.4K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-37.75%

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

$90.3 SAR 339

$162 COP 516.9K

-44.32%

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

$39.04 SAR 147

$13.12 COP 41.8K

197.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.9 SAR 255

$28.09 COP 89.5K

141.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.6 SAR 299

$44.33 COP 141.2K

79.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.23 SAR 144

$16.33 COP 52.0K

134.11%

Cinema Ticket

$12.04 SAR 45.22

$6.09 COP 19.4K

97.70%

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

$757 SAR 2,841

$764 COP 2.4M

-1.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K SAR 61.1K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

82.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.8 SAR 277

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-13.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 SAR 210

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 SAR 380

$132 COP 419.8K

-23.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 SAR 354

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$790 SAR 2,966

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-23.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 SAR 2,009

$604 COP 1.9M

-11.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,418 SAR 5,323

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$817 SAR 3,070

$993 COP 3.2M

-17.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,777 SAR 6,673

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-54.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,143 SAR 4,291

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-30.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,646 SAR 6,180

$626 COP 2.0M

162.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

10.94

-50.73%

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

Last update for Jeddah: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$535 38.8%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 13% $69

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.6%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 43.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$197 14.3%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 3.1% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$146 10.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 13.7% $20

Eating Out

Jeddah

$125 9%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 33.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$104 7.5%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 45.5% $47

Getting Around

Jeddah

$71 5.2%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 28.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $790 in Jeddah versus $1,028 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 run about 163% higher in Jeddah, 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 $80.0 in Jeddah versus $47.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Jeddah vs $288 in Medellin – so Jeddah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

02:21 2:21 AM

8 h behind Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 = 0.237 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jeddah Medellin 12,270 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

Jeddah vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,360 in Jeddah, $1,589 in Medellin – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,040 per month in Jeddah and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeddah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Jeddah and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,360 in Jeddah and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 17%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jeddah, where all-in costs run around $1,360, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Jeddah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,360 in Jeddah to $1,589 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 Jeddah. 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.