Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al Majma'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Majma’ah: $1,300 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Al Majma'ah, Saudi Arabia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Al Majma'ah
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,300
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Al Majma'ah

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,300 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Al Majma'ah $1,300

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $2,000 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Al Majma'ah $2,000

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,700 in Al Majma’ah, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Al Majma'ah $2,700

Medellin costs about 30% more than Al Majma’ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Al Majma’ah is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$7.96 SAR 29.87
4.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$66.6 SAR 250
-30.12%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.5K
$8.09 SAR 30.37
17.06%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.14 SAR 8.03
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.97 SAR 11.16
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$4.45 SAR 16.71
-29.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,696
$0.84 SAR 3.16
110.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,594
$0.33 SAR 1.24
330.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,943
$1.82 SAR 6.84
-15.93%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,389
$1.33 SAR 5.00
72.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,273
$2.46 SAR 9.24
-21.14%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,889
$2.99 SAR 11.22
2.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$10.35 SAR 38.84
-3.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$9.52 SAR 35.73
9.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$15.25 SAR 57.2
-8.46%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.92 SAR 10.94
38.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,929
$1.97 SAR 7.39
-22.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,786
$2.49 SAR 9.36
-15.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$1.72 SAR 6.46
33.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,803
$1.17 SAR 4.39
80.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,512
$1.28 SAR 4.81
33.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,774
$1.68 SAR 6.31
-30.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,096
$0.57 SAR 2.14
177.19%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.93 SAR 11.00
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.75 SAR 6.55
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.39 SAR 8.95
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$7.55 SAR 28.34
-48.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,682
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,746
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,805
$1.00 SAR 3.77
18.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.0K
$38.68 SAR 145
97.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,827
$3.28 SAR 12.33
-44.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,867
$1.83 SAR 6.87
16.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$13.39 SAR 50.3
-39.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,113
$0.65 SAR 2.44
96.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$26.4K SAR 99.1K
30.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$22.4K SAR 84.1K
52.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.2K
$107 SAR 400
66.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$29.12 SAR 109
-52.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.1K
$69.8 SAR 262
-55.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.3K
$71.6 SAR 269
-41.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$13.98 SAR 52.5
-46.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$552 SAR 2,072
43.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$16.5K SAR 62.1K
-25.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.4K
$58.3 SAR 219
48.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.1K
$53.2 SAR 200
11.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.2K
$101 SAR 378
37.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.7K
$105 SAR 393
-5.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$552 SAR 2,071
143.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$408 SAR 1,533
63.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$883 SAR 3,313
123.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$614 SAR 2,304
68.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$2,020 SAR 7,583
102.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,119 SAR 4,202
73.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Al Majma'ah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.54
97.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al Majma'ah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Al Majma'ah
$408 38.8% $259
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Al Majma'ah
$242 21.2% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Al Majma'ah
$206 7.6% $17
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Al Majma'ah
$146 15.4% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Al Majma'ah
$143 17.2% $30
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Al Majma'ah
$55 41% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Al Majma'ah
$100 75.1% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $552 in Al Majma’ah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $67 in Al Majma’ah. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $242 in Al Majma’ah – so Al Majma’ah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇸🇦 Al Majma'ah
🕒 Local time
22:58 10:58 PM
06:58 6:58 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Al Majma'ah 12,710 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Al Majma'ah

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 Majma'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Al Majma’ah?
Medellin costs about 30% more than Al Majma’ah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Medellin and in Al Majma’ah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,949 in Al Majma’ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Medellin or Al Majma’ah?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Majma’ah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $552 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Al Majma’ah?
Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $552 in Al Majma’ah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Medellin or in Al Majma’ah?
Groceries cost about 27% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Al Majma’ah?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,300 in Al Majma’ah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Al Majma’ah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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