Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Abu Dhabi Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Abu Dhabi

🙂 Solo nomad: Medellin is 41% cheaper than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 53.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Medellin is 39.7% cheaper than Abu Dhabi without rent, and 53.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.14 COP 22.2K
$11.10 AED 40.73
-44.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.05 COP 119.3K
$69.0 AED 253
-52.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.32 COP 26.4K
$9.58 AED 35.15
-23.59%
Cappuccino
$1.66 COP 5,987
$5.92 AED 21.74
-71.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 COP 3,987
$1.26 AED 4.62
-12.70%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.78 COP 2,822
$0.41 AED 1.50
90.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 COP 6,188
$11.05 AED 40.56
-84.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 COP 11.5K
$11.02 AED 40.43
-71.23%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 COP 4,012
$2.02 AED 7.41
-45.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COP 4,719
$1.61 AED 5.90
-18.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COP 4,980
$2.44 AED 8.96
-43.44%
Eggs
$2.22 COP 8,009
$3.66 AED 13.44
-39.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.34 COP 15.7K
$10.80 AED 39.65
-59.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.80 COP 20.9K
$8.68 AED 31.86
-33.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.98 COP 32.4K
$11.49 AED 42.17
-21.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 COP 8,164
$2.37 AED 8.69
-4.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,023
$1.82 AED 6.69
-39.01%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 COP 5,284
$1.82 AED 6.68
-19.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.37 COP 4,929
$1.47 AED 5.39
-6.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 COP 4,009
$1.12 AED 4.11
-0.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 COP 4,199
$1.37 AED 5.02
-15.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 COP 3,211
$1.84 AED 6.75
-51.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 COP 3,124
$0.58 AED 2.14
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.35 COP 8,495
$6.39 AED 23.45
-63.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.86 COP 39.2K
$13.73 AED 50.4
-20.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 COP 4,330
$2.28 AED 8.37
-47.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 COP 8,946
$2.18 AED 7.98
13.76%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 COP 2,842
$0.66 AED 2.42
19.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.77 COP 147.2K
$25.69 AED 94.3
58.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 COP 5,137
$3.30 AED 12.10
-56.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.91 COP 6,900
$0.53 AED 1.93
260.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.65 COP 27.6K
$8.19 AED 30.04
-6.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COP 3,490
$0.79 AED 2.91
22.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.1K COP 65.3M
$45.5K AED 167.2K
-60.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K COP 95.0M
$22.0K AED 80.6K
19.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.3 COP 293.5K
$142 AED 523
-42.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 COP 34.8K
$51.3 AED 188
-81.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$24.36 COP 88.0K
$101 AED 372
-76.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.02 COP 93.9K
$65.5 AED 240
-60.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.92 COP 68.3K
$34.55 AED 127
-45.24%
Cinema Ticket
$3.89 COP 14.0K
$13.55 AED 49.73
-71.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$304 COP 1.1M
$637 AED 2,339
-52.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,902 COP 21.3M
$12.3K AED 45.0K
-51.89%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.7 COP 211.8K
$57.0 AED 209
2.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.48 COP 117.2K
$56.9 AED 209
-42.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 COP 367.3K
$93.1 AED 342
9.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COP 390.4K
$88.2 AED 324
22.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$474 COP 1.7M
$1,475 AED 5,412
-67.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 COP 1.3M
$1,065 AED 3,908
-65.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$848 COP 3.1M
$3,058 AED 11.2K
-72.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$716 COP 2.6M
$2,258 AED 8,286
-68.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,871 COP 10.4M
$4,728 AED 17.4K
-39.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,375 COP 5.0M
$2,993 AED 11.0K
-54.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Abu Dhabi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$542 COP 2.0M
$2,604 AED 9,557
-79.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
5.19
158.77%

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

Last update for Medellin: April 13, 2026

Last update for Abu Dhabi: April 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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