Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ad Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Ad Dammam: $1,217 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ad Dammam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Ad Dammam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam.

Medellin $1,639
Ad Dammam $1,217

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,838 in Ad Dammam.

Medellin $2,413
Ad Dammam $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,460 in Ad Dammam.

Medellin $3,186
Ad Dammam $2,460

Living in Medellin is roughly 35% more expensive than in Ad Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Ad Dammam is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.12 SAR 26.74

13.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$34.16 SAR 128

37.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.82 SAR 25.60

39.30%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.17

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.02 SAR 11.33

-0.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.78 SAR 2.94

130.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.17 SAR 0.63

729.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.73 SAR 6.51

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.29 SAR 4.85

84.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.94 SAR 7.29

-8.76%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.18 SAR 8.20

32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.60 SAR 28.53

34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$7.83 SAR 29.37

26.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.77 SAR 47.92

9.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.22 SAR 8.33

78.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.71 SAR 6.42

-9.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.64 SAR 6.15

32.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.58 SAR 5.94

37.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.12 SAR 4.21

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.16 SAR 4.35

37.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.33 SAR 4.98

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.62 SAR 2.31

100.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.06 SAR 15.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SAR 5.67

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$7.58 SAR 28.46

-47.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.91 SAR 3.41

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$38.54 SAR 145

100.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.74 SAR 10.27

-53.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.74 SAR 10.28

-25.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$13.10 SAR 49.16

-34.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.64 SAR 2.40

110.94%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$29.1K SAR 109.1K

17.17%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$21.5K SAR 80.5K

61.58%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$131 SAR 493

29.23%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$32.48 SAR 122

-58.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$62.9 SAR 236

-55.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$72.9 SAR 273

-40.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$28.56 SAR 107

-39.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-48.97%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$416 SAR 1,560

91.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,051 SAR 30.2K

13.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$42.09 SAR 158

101.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$50.5 SAR 189

14.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$96.1 SAR 361

40.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$92.6 SAR 348

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$535 SAR 2,008

125.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$387 SAR 1,450

65.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$970 SAR 3,641

109.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$670 SAR 2,513

51.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$962 SAR 3,611

333.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$707 SAR 2,653

170.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,475 SAR 5,537

-55.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.9

85.42%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ad Dammam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ad Dammam

$386 31.8% 39.8% $255

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ad Dammam

$201 16.5% 32.2% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ad Dammam

$227 18.6% 7.3% $15

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ad Dammam

$117 9.7% 30.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ad Dammam

$127 10.4% 25.1% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ad Dammam

$59 4.8% 37.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ad Dammam

$100 8.2% 73.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ad Dammam pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $34 in Ad Dammam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $201 per month, with Ad Dammam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

903,312

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ad Dammam 13,130 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ad Dammam

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

Medellin vs Ad Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ad Dammam wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ad Dammam the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $535 in Ad Dammam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,217 in Ad Dammam – Ad Dammam is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ad Dammam runs roughly 50% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Ad Dammam is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ad Dammam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.