Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,435 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
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Al Khobar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,435

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Medellin versus $1,435 in Al Khobar.

Medellin $1,589
Al Khobar $1,435

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,364 in Medellin versus $2,239 in Al Khobar.

Medellin $2,364
Al Khobar $2,239

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,139 in Medellin versus $3,043 in Al Khobar.

Medellin $3,139
Al Khobar $3,043

Living in Medellin is roughly 11% more expensive than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Medellin 19% above, Al Khobar 7% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$6.78 SAR 25.46

18.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$58.9 SAR 221

-20.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$8.08 SAR 30.34

16.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 SAR 10.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 SAR 10.19

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.51 SAR 16.92

-35.48%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$0.92 SAR 3.45

90.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.40 SAR 1.52

230.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.70 SAR 6.38

-17.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.26 SAR 4.72

93.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$2.55 SAR 9.59

-36.08%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$2.40 SAR 9.01

17.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.11 SAR 26.69

36.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$10.30 SAR 38.68

-9.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$11.59 SAR 43.52

16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.77 SAR 10.40

44.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.78 SAR 6.68

-16.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.98 SAR 7.42

7.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.83 SAR 6.86

22.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.36 SAR 5.10

40.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.67 SAR 6.26

-2.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-31.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.55 SAR 2.05

129.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.68 SAR 10.07

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 SAR 7.08

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$6.61 SAR 24.84

-42.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.74 SAR 2.77

58.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$67.0 SAR 252

11.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$3.38 SAR 12.68

-62.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$2.72 SAR 10.20

-24.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$6.84 SAR 25.67

19.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.64 SAR 2.41

98.44%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$66.1K SAR 248.1K

-59.47%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$22.6K SAR 84.8K

52.39%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$99.2 SAR 372

63.55%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$32.92 SAR 124

-60.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$69.7 SAR 262

-59.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$80.9 SAR 304

-45.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$36.24 SAR 136

-54.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$15.22 SAR 57.1

-59.99%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$602 SAR 2,262

26.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$8,315 SAR 31.2K

7.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$62.8 SAR 236

35.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$83.7 SAR 314

-31.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$96.3 SAR 362

36.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$92.4 SAR 347

3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$631 SAR 2,370

62.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$514 SAR 1,929

17.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$1,174 SAR 4,410

53.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$855 SAR 3,209

16.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$2,388 SAR 8,966

64.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,463 SAR 5,495

11.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$1,872 SAR 7,028

-66.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.88

86.05%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Al Khobar

$514 36.1% 15% $91

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Al Khobar

$219 15.4% 24% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Al Khobar

$202 14.2% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Al Khobar

$151 10.6% 9.4% $16

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Al Khobar

$138 9.7% 17.1% $29

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Al Khobar

$87 6.1% 4.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Al Khobar

$111 7.8% 97.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,028 in Medellin and $631 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays 199% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Medellin vs $59.0 in Al Khobar. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $219, with Al Khobar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

16:06 4:06 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

219,679

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Al Khobar 13,150 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al Khobar

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 Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 199% lower in Al Khobar. 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: $1,028 in Medellin versus $631 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Al Khobar runs roughly 12% less than in Medellin. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $764 in Medellin versus $602 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,435 in Al Khobar versus $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Khobar but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Al Khobar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al Khobar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,435 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Khobar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Medellin and Al Khobar 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 Khobar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.