Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al Wafrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Wafrah: $1,284 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Al Wafrah
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Al Wafrah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Al Wafrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Al Wafrah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,284 in Al Wafrah.

Medellin $1,639
Al Wafrah $1,284

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,127 in Al Wafrah.

Medellin $2,413
Al Wafrah $2,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,969 in Al Wafrah.

Medellin $3,186
Al Wafrah $2,969

Living in Medellin is roughly 28% more expensive than in Al Wafrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Al Wafrah is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$7.27 KWD 2.26

11.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$44.29 KWD 13.76

6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.52 KWD 2.34

26.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.98 KWD 0.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 KWD 0.95

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$5.05 KWD 1.57

-40.40%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.59 KWD 0.18

205.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.30 KWD 0.09

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.32 KWD 0.41

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.87 KWD 0.27

173.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$2.10 KWD 0.65

-15.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.29 KWD 0.71

26.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$4.97 KWD 1.54

105.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.98 KWD 1.55

98.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.12 KWD 2.84

53.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.70 KWD 0.84

47.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.90 KWD 0.59

-18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.36 KWD 0.42

60.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.61 KWD 0.50

35.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.26 KWD 0.39

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.96 KWD 0.30

65.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.54 KWD 0.48

-25.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.46 KWD 0.14

169.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.12 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 KWD 0.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 KWD 0.48

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.80 KWD 0.87

41.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.69 KWD 0.21

69.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$3.66 KWD 1.14

-65.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$3.11 KWD 0.97

-34.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$15.96 KWD 4.96

-46.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.30 KWD 0.09

350.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$23.5K KWD 7,302

44.98%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$19.5K KWD 6,053

77.98%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$59.2 KWD 18.40

186.47%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$23.09 KWD 7.18

-41.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$29.29 KWD 9.10

-4.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$110 KWD 34.18

-60.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$12.57 KWD 3.91

-45.03%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$281 KWD 87.2

184.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$6,841 KWD 2,126

33.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$41.80 KWD 12.99

102.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$41.17 KWD 12.79

40.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$103 KWD 31.94

31.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$96.4 KWD 29.95

1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$844 KWD 262

43.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$582 KWD 181

10.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,820 KWD 565

11.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,323 KWD 411

-23.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$4,273 KWD 1,328

-84.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.53

67.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al Wafrah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Al Wafrah

$582 45.3% 9.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Al Wafrah

$162 12.6% 45.3% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Al Wafrah

$112 8.7% 47.2% $100

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Al Wafrah

$145 11.3% 14.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Al Wafrah

$127 9.9% 24.9% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Al Wafrah

$22 * 1.7% 76.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Al Wafrah

$135 10.5% 135% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $844 in Al Wafrah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Wafrah pays about 6.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $44 in Al Wafrah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $162 per month, with Al Wafrah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Al Wafrah

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,017

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.311 KWD (1 KWD = 3.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.347 KWD (1 KWD = 2.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Al Wafrah 12,840 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al Wafrah

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 Wafrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,284 in Al Wafrah, so Al Wafrah is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $844 in Al Wafrah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $281 in Al Wafrah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Al Wafrah – a meal for two runs $44 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al Wafrah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.