Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Al-wukayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-wukayr: $1,368 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Al-wukayr

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,368

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,368 in Al-wukayr.

Medellin $1,639
Al-wukayr $1,368

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,012 in Al-wukayr.

Medellin $2,413
Al-wukayr $2,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,656 in Al-wukayr.

Medellin $3,186
Al-wukayr $2,656

Living in Medellin is roughly 20% more expensive than in Al-wukayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$27.43 QAR 99.9

-70.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$26.93 QAR 98.0

74.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$8.29 QAR 30.16

14.60%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.40 QAR 5.10

115.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.40 QAR 5.11

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.26 QAR 0.94

442.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$2.25 QAR 8.21

-32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.26 QAR 4.58

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.61 QAR 5.85

9.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.77 QAR 10.07

4.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.36 QAR 19.51

84.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.17 QAR 29.76

71.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.14 QAR 7.78

85.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.48 QAR 5.39

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.08 QAR 7.58

4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.40 QAR 5.10

55.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$0.91 QAR 3.33

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.94 QAR 3.42

69.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.13 QAR 4.12

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.26 QAR 0.94

376.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.22 QAR 15.36

-6.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.85 QAR 3.10

37.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$2.77 QAR 10.07

-54.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.67 QAR 2.44

101.49%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$81.2 QAR 296

108.85%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$82.8 QAR 301

-83.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$81.8 QAR 298

-65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

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

$797 COP 2.6M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$9,722 QAR 35.4K

-6.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$21.91 QAR 79.8

286.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$893 QAR 3,251

35.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$687 QAR 2,500

-6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,492 QAR 5,432

35.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,204 QAR 4,383

-15.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$5,403 QAR 19.7K

-87.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al-wukayr: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Al-wukayr

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Al-wukayr

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Al-wukayr

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Al-wukayr

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Al-wukayr

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Al-wukayr

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Al-wukayr

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $893 in Al-wukayr. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al-wukayr pays about 8.2 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 $27 in Al-wukayr for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $151 per month, with Al-wukayr cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇶🇦 Al-wukayr

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

19:10 7:10 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,146

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Al-wukayr 13,320 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Al-wukayr

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-wukayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,368 in Al-wukayr, so Al-wukayr is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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 $893 in Al-wukayr. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Al-wukayr – a meal for two runs $27 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,368 in Al-wukayr – Al-wukayr is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Al-wukayr 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.