Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al Fujayrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $3,206 in Al Fujayrah, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
155

Cost of Living Index in Al Fujayrah
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Al Fujayrah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Al Fujayrah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$3,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $3,206 in Al Fujayrah, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Al Fujayrah $3,206

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $4,790 in Al Fujayrah, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Al Fujayrah $4,790

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $6,373 in Al Fujayrah, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Al Fujayrah $6,373

Medellin is about 49% cheaper than Al Fujayrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Al Fujayrah sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Al Fujayrah by 136%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.96 AED 29.22

1.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$59.9 AED 220

-21.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.74 AED 35.76

-2.46%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$5.81 AED 21.34

-48.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.42 AED 5.20

26.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.60 AED 2.21

135.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$13.72 AED 50.4

-76.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$13.88 AED 51.0

-58.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.84 AED 6.76

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.16 AED 4.27

105.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.52 AED 9.24

-29.76%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.52 AED 12.93

-17.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.50 AED 20.19

85.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.22 AED 19.19

89.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.78 AED 28.57

79.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.73 AED 6.34

129.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.33 AED 4.90

16.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.30 AED 4.76

67.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.42 AED 5.20

53.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.99 AED 3.62

97.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.05 AED 3.84

51.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.10 AED 4.05

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.66 AED 2.43

87.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.39 AED 23.46

-38.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$16.41 AED 60.3

-16.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.62 AED 9.63

-36.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.00 AED 11.03

-24.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$2.88 AED 10.57

-59.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$16.16 AED 59.3

378.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.77 AED 10.19

-54.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.28 AED 1.04

632.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.69 AED 9.90

217.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.78 AED 2.86

73.08%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.3K AED 96.7K

29.32%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.0K AED 80.7K

57.84%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$239 AED 878

-29.08%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$44.28 AED 163

-69.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$91.6 AED 336

-69.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$96.6 AED 355

-54.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$29.57 AED 109

-41.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.95 AED 36.55

-30.55%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$275 AED 1,009

190.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,443 AED 16.3K

105.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$29.39 AED 108

188.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$55.0 AED 202

5.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$103 AED 378

31.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$80.9 AED 297

20.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$2,379 AED 8,739

-49.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$2,077 AED 7,628

-69.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$5,048 AED 18.5K

-59.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$4,064 AED 14.9K

-75.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,673 AED 13.5K

-82.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

447.00%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al Fujayrah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Al Fujayrah

$2.1K 64.8% 224% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Al Fujayrah

$218 6.8% 26.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Al Fujayrah

$375 11.7% 77.5% $164

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Al Fujayrah

$267 8.3% 57.4% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Al Fujayrah

$121 3.8% 28.6% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Al Fujayrah

$32 1% 66% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Al Fujayrah

$116 3.6% 103% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,379 in Al Fujayrah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Al Fujayrah are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $60 in Al Fujayrah. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $218 in Al Fujayrah – so Al Fujayrah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇪 Al Fujayrah

🕒 Local time

00:38 12:38 AM

09:38 9:38 AM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

118,933

💱 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 Al Fujayrah 13,750 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al Fujayrah

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 Fujayrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Fujayrah costs about 96% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $4,810 in Al Fujayrah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,379 in Al Fujayrah.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $275 in Al Fujayrah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Al Fujayrah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,639, than in Al Fujayrah at $3,206. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Fujayrah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Fujayrah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.