Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al-Ula

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Ula: $1,230 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
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Al-Ula Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,230 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Al-Ula $1,230

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,822 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Al-Ula $1,822

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,414 in Al-Ula, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Al-Ula $2,414

Medellin costs about 38% more than Al-Ula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Al-Ula is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.49 SAR 28.12

11.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$37.71 SAR 142

23.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.94 SAR 29.80

19.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.55

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.20 SAR 12.02

-2.19%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.88 SAR 3.30

101.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.25 SAR 0.94

468.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.94 SAR 7.26

-21.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.24 SAR 4.64

84.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.35 SAR 8.81

-17.45%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.43 SAR 9.11

26.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$7.55 SAR 28.35

32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.07 SAR 30.29

29.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$12.55 SAR 47.10

11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.13 SAR 8.00

90.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.53 SAR 5.73

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.56 SAR 5.86

34.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.64 SAR 6.14

39.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.26 SAR 4.74

67.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.28 SAR 4.79

33.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.27 SAR 4.77

-7.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.55 SAR 2.05

187.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.76 SAR 25.38

-42.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$1.07 SAR 4.03

10.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$37.17 SAR 140

105.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.65 SAR 9.96

-31.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.56 SAR 5.85

36.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$16.08 SAR 60.3

-49.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.69 SAR 2.58

85.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$30.1K SAR 112.9K

14.52%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

54.85%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$112 SAR 419

59.30%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$32.23 SAR 121

-56.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$74.4 SAR 279

-58.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$83.8 SAR 315

-49.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$13.90 SAR 52.2

-46.26%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$460 SAR 1,728

71.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$11.0K SAR 41.3K

11.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$37.58 SAR 141

129.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$56.7 SAR 213

4.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$99.3 SAR 373

39.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$84.9 SAR 318

16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$604 SAR 2,266

122.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$393 SAR 1,474

69.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$900 SAR 3,379

119.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$612 SAR 2,295

68.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,857 SAR 6,969

120.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,089 SAR 4,088

78.13%

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-Ula: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Al-Ula

$393 31.9% 41.1% $274

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Al-Ula

$204 16.6% 33.7% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Al-Ula

$218 17.7% 1.9% $4.2

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Al-Ula

$127 10.3% 26.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Al-Ula

$125 10.2% 27.3% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Al-Ula

$52 4.2% 44.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Al-Ula

$112 9.1% 96.2% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $604 in Al-Ula. 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 $38 in Al-Ula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $204 – making Al-Ula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

18:43 6:43 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

32,413

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Al-Ula 11,990 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al-Ula

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-Ula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,230 in Al-Ula – Al-Ula comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,845 in Al-Ula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-Ula, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $604 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $460 in Al-Ula. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,230 in Al-Ula, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Al-Ula – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Al-Ula is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.