Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al-kir'anah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-kir’anah: $757 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Al-kir'anah, Qatar
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Al-kir'anah
🇶🇦 Qatar
$757
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Al-kir'anah

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-kir'anah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $757 in Al-kir’anah.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Al-kir'anah $757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,287 in Al-kir’anah.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Al-kir'anah $1,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,817 in Al-kir’anah.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Al-kir'anah $1,817

Living in Medellin is roughly 117% more expensive than in Al-kir’anah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Al-kir’anah is 44% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$8.33 QAR 30.33
-2.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 149.1K
$68.8 QAR 250
-31.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$8.08 QAR 29.42
17.57%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$12.36 QAR 45.00
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$13.69 QAR 49.83
-
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,554
$5.71 QAR 20.78
-47.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,701
$0.89 QAR 3.25
102.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,476
$0.43 QAR 1.57
227.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.1K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,785
$2.08 QAR 7.57
-27.40%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,535
$1.35 QAR 4.92
76.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,613
$1.89 QAR 6.89
-6.35%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,159
$3.35 QAR 12.21
-13.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.3K
$11.40 QAR 41.51
-10.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.3K
$7.92 QAR 28.81
24.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$11.10 QAR 40.40
26.04%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$2.26 QAR 8.21
75.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,918
$1.80 QAR 6.57
-13.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,917
$1.53 QAR 5.56
42.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,920
$1.22 QAR 4.44
78.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,219
$1.00 QAR 3.63
96.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,037
$0.97 QAR 3.53
63.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,630
$1.43 QAR 5.19
-19.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,939
$0.55 QAR 1.99
125.45%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$9.78 QAR 35.59
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.85 QAR 6.73
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.23 QAR 8.12
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.6K
$6.40 QAR 23.30
-38.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.4K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,259
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,155
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,701
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 245.2K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,018
$1.97 QAR 7.16
-35.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,489
$2.12 QAR 7.72
-3.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$13.79 QAR 50.2
-38.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,268
$0.54 QAR 1.97
150.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 108.0M
$24.4K QAR 88.9K
39.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.9M
$22.0K QAR 80.1K
57.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 537.6K
$85.6 QAR 312
98.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$34.85 QAR 127
-61.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.9K
$85.7 QAR 312
-67.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.5K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$12.57 QAR 45.77
-45.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$677 QAR 2,466
17.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.9M
$9,667 QAR 35.2K
-5.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.4K
$61.8 QAR 225
37.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.7K
$53.6 QAR 195
8.13%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.6K
$99.4 QAR 362
35.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 310.1K
$84.4 QAR 307
15.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.1M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Al-kir'anah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.92
84.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-kir'anah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Al-kir'anah
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Al-kir'anah
$214 28% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Al-kir'anah
$206 2.4% $5.2
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Al-kir'anah
$165 2.9% $4.9
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Al-kir'anah
$135 20.3% $34
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Al-kir'anah
$13 * 86.6% $81
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Al-kir'anah
$25 * 56.3% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $69 in Al-kir’anah. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $214, with Al-kir’anah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇶🇦 Al-kir'anah
🕒 Local time
20:05 8:05 PM
04:05 4:05 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق
Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,548 COP (10,000 COP = 2.82 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.08 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Al-kir'anah 13,280 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Al-kir'anah

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-kir'anah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Al-kir’anah?
Al-kir’anah wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al-kir’anah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Al-kir’anah?
You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,136 in Al-kir’anah 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.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Al-kir’anah?
Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $677 in Al-kir’anah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Medellin and in Al-kir’anah?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $69 in Al-kir’anah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Al-kir’anah?
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.

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