Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ajman

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,842 in Ajman, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ajman

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 Ajman actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,842 in Ajman.

Medellin $1,639
Ajman $1,842

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $3,306 in Ajman.

Medellin $2,413
Ajman $3,306

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $4,769 in Ajman.

Medellin $3,186
Ajman $4,769

Living in Medellin costs roughly 11% less than in Ajman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 20% above, Ajman 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.66 AED 20.79

42.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$26.78 AED 98.4

75.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$8.13 AED 29.86

16.85%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.72 AED 13.65

-19.09%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.80 AED 2.93

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.40 AED 1.46

252.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$10.77 AED 39.55

-70.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$12.48 AED 45.83

-53.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.95 AED 7.14

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.35 AED 4.97

76.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.46 AED 5.35

21.23%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.08 AED 7.65

38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.91 AED 29.05

28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.59 AED 24.20

49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.51 AED 34.92

47.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.94 AED 7.12

104.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.33 AED 4.87

16.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.56 AED 5.73

39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.03 AED 3.79

111.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.03 AED 3.77

90.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.14 AED 4.17

39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.18 AED 4.34

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.51 AED 1.87

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.34 AED 23.30

-37.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$11.02 AED 40.45

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.60 AED 5.88

3.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.30 AED 8.45

-1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$4.07 AED 14.94

-71.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$69.4 AED 255

11.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.48 AED 12.77

-63.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.66 AED 2.42

210.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$8.41 AED 30.89

1.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.83 AED 3.05

62.65%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$45.4K AED 166.8K

-24.99%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.0K AED 80.7K

57.75%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$154 AED 565

10.36%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$49.88 AED 183

-72.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$85.4 AED 314

-67.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$76.9 AED 282

-43.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$9.74 AED 35.79

76.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.64 AED 50.1

-49.34%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$492 AED 1,806

62.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,741 AED 21.1K

58.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$58.4 AED 214

45.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$61.1 AED 224

-5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$84.9 AED 312

59.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$94.8 AED 348

3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,283 AED 8,386

-47.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$812 AED 2,982

-21.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,619 AED 5,946

25.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$2,727 AED 10.0K

-62.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,272 AED 8,343

83.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,366 AED 5,015

39.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,259 AED 8,297

-70.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

118.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ajman: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ajman

$812 44.1% 26.6% $171

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ajman

$212 11.5% 28.5% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ajman

$289 15.7% 36.8% $78

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ajman

$198 10.7% 16.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ajman

$135 7.3% 20.4% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ajman

$92 5% 1.2% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ajman

$104 5.7% 81.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $2,283 in Ajman. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ajman pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Ajman for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $212 per month, with Ajman cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇪 Ajman

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

07:48 7:48 AM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

238,119

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ajman 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ajman

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 Ajman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ajman. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Medellin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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 $2,283 in Ajman. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $492 in Ajman. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ajman pay roughly 29% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,500 a month, though Medellin gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Medellin wins on affordability, Ajman on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.