Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al Budayyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Budayyi: $125 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Al Budayyi

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Al Budayyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $125 in Al Budayyi.

Medellin $1,614
Al Budayyi $125

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $135 in Al Budayyi.

Medellin $2,402
Al Budayyi $135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $144 in Al Budayyi.

Medellin $3,190
Al Budayyi $144

Living in Medellin is roughly 1195% more expensive than in Al Budayyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Al Budayyi is 91% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.3K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 147.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.3K

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,920

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

$1.83 COP 5,832

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,384

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,725

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,625

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,537

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,358

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,127

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.5K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.4K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.8K

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 13.0K

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,768

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,929

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,350

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,147

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,224

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,590

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,976

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.6K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,413

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,566

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,848

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,202

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,811

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 27.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,137

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

$28.0K COP 89.2M

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

$35.4K COP 112.9M

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

$172 COP 548.6K

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

$13.37 COP 42.6K

$19.81 BHD 7.48

-32.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.6K

$105 BHD 39.56

-72.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 144.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

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

$770 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 275.5K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 182.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 435.3K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 312.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

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)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Al Budayyi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Al Budayyi

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Al Budayyi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Al Budayyi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Al Budayyi

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Al Budayyi

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Al Budayyi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Al Budayyi

–

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇭 Al Budayyi

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

02:07 2:07 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 3,188 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,568 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.422 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Al Budayyi 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al Budayyi

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 Al Budayyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Budayyi wins on cost – living expenses run 1195% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al Budayyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $187 in Al Budayyi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

At $125 in Al Budayyi versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Budayyi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Al Budayyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al Budayyi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $125 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Budayyi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Al Budayyi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al Budayyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 1195% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.