Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al-Qusayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Qusayr: $639 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-Qusayr
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Al-Qusayr Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Al-Qusayr

🇸🇾 Syria

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $639 in Al-Qusayr.

Medellin $1,639
Al-Qusayr $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,013 in Al-Qusayr.

Medellin $2,413
Al-Qusayr $1,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,387 in Al-Qusayr.

Medellin $3,186
Al-Qusayr $1,387

Living in Medellin is roughly 156% more expensive than in Al-Qusayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Al-Qusayr is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$9.94 SYP 1,207

-18.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$42.77 SYP 5,196

10.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.07 SYP 859

34.37%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.65 SYP 443

-17.53%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.23 SYP 271

-19.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.82 SYP 100

71.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$1.92 SYP 233

65.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.96 SYP 481

45.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.06 SYP 129

42.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.38 SYP 46.66

526.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.56 SYP 189

13.46%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.58 SYP 192

82.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$3.98 SYP 484

156.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.65 SYP 686

74.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.63 SYP 1,656

2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.06 SYP 129

274.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.42 SYP 172

9.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.10 SYP 134

98.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.02 SYP 124

113.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.78 SYP 95.0

151.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.80 SYP 96.9

98.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.40 SYP 49.14

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.67 SYP 81.4

85.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.78 SYP 338

42.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.89 SYP 716

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.09 SYP 132

52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.81 SYP 342

-19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.98 SYP 119

29.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.49 SYP 182

37.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.58 SYP 921

12.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$3.64 SYP 442

-62.91%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$14.9K SYP 1.8M

129.31%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

82.88%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$140 SYP 17.0K

21.52%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$9.37 SYP 1,139

44.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$45.36 SYP 5,512

-38.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$5.44 SYP 660

27.02%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$67.0 SYP 8,141

1089.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,813 SYP 220.3K

402.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$28.15 SYP 3,420

200.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.38 SYP 4,785

47.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$60.7 SYP 7,377

122.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$57.8 SYP 7,026

69.24%

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 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-Qusayr: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Al-Qusayr

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Al-Qusayr

$168 26.3% 43.5% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Al-Qusayr

$194 30.4% 8% $17

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Al-Qusayr

$174 27.2% 2.7% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Al-Qusayr

$84 13.1% 50.4% $85

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Al-Qusayr

$8.5 * 1.3% 91% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Al-Qusayr

$11 * 1.7% 81.1% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $43 in Al-Qusayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $168 per month, with Al-Qusayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇾 Al-Qusayr

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

04:05 4:05 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

29,818

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.39 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 135 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Al-Qusayr 11,600 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al-Qusayr

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-Qusayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Qusayr is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $959 in Al-Qusayr 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 77% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $639 in Al-Qusayr – Al-Qusayr is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $639 in Al-Qusayr versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al-Qusayr but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Qusayr the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.