Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $642 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Al-qardahah

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $642 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Al-qardahah $642

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,016 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Al-qardahah $1,016

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,390 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Al-qardahah $1,390

Medellin costs about 163% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Al-qardahah is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$10.06 SYP 1,222

-17.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$42.56 SYP 5,171

9.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.89 SYP 837

37.45%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.64 SYP 442

-14.01%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$2.23 SYP 271

-20.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.86 SYP 105

65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.94 SYP 236

62.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.90 SYP 474

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.05 SYP 128

45.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.45 SYP 54.3

408.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.61 SYP 196

20.50%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.57 SYP 191

95.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$3.98 SYP 484

151.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.56 SYP 675

87.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.71 SYP 1,665

1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.03 SYP 126

293.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.38 SYP 168

10.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.14 SYP 138

84.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.07 SYP 130

114.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.79 SYP 95.5

167.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.76 SYP 91.9

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.44 SYP 53.5

165.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.66 SYP 80.1

139.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$2.71 SYP 329

44.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$4.94 SYP 600

184.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.15 SYP 140

53.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.81 SYP 342

-3.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.99 SYP 120

82.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.49 SYP 181

42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$7.80 SYP 948

4.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$3.63 SYP 441

-64.74%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

129.40%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$19.3K SYP 2.3M

76.49%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$142 SYP 17.2K

25.27%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$9.67 SYP 1,175

43.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$45.85 SYP 5,570

-32.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$5.56 SYP 675

34.35%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$66.9 SYP 8,128

1080.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,770 SYP 215.1K

594.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$28.37 SYP 3,447

204.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$39.44 SYP 4,792

50.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$61.0 SYP 7,406

126.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$57.8 SYP 7,020

71.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

14.25

-23.23%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Al-qardahah

$167 26% 45.8% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Al-qardahah

$197 30.7% 11.2% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.2% 1.2% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Al-qardahah

$84 13.1% 51.3% $88

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Al-qardahah

$8.4 * 1.3% 91% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.7% 80.5% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $43 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $167 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

04:54 4:54 AM

12:54 12:54 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Al-qardahah 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 163%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $963 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $43 in Al-qardahah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 84% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $642, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Al-qardahah to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.