Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ar-rass

For one person, living is cheaper in Ar-rass: $1,162 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
Learn more

Ar-rass Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ar-rass

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,162 in Ar-rass.

Medellin $1,692
Ar-rass $1,162

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,717 in Ar-rass.

Medellin $2,471
Ar-rass $1,717

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,272 in Ar-rass.

Medellin $3,249
Ar-rass $2,272

Living in Medellin is roughly 46% more expensive than in Ar-rass, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Ar-rass is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$6.73 SAR 25.27

23.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$37.53 SAR 141

23.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$8.20 SAR 30.78

15.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 SAR 6.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.29 SAR 12.36

-4.86%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.88 SAR 3.30

101.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.27 SAR 1.01

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-15.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.38 SAR 1.43

502.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.82 SAR 6.85

6.59%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$3.67 SAR 13.78

-16.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.77 SAR 25.40

47.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$7.99 SAR 29.97

30.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$12.90 SAR 48.43

8.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.14 SAR 8.03

89.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.73 SAR 6.48

-11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.64 SAR 6.17

28.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.56 SAR 5.84

46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.25 SAR 4.68

68.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.33 SAR 5.01

28.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.26 SAR 4.73

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.58 SAR 2.17

172.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 SAR 7.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.94

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$7.88 SAR 29.58

-50.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.96 SAR 3.60

22.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$42.22 SAR 158

80.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$2.61 SAR 9.78

-30.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$1.49 SAR 5.60

42.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$13.93 SAR 52.3

-41.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.61 SAR 2.27

109.84%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$25.3K SAR 95.1K

35.93%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

57.33%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$94.9 SAR 356

87.28%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$24.18 SAR 90.7

-42.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$60.3 SAR 226

-49.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$43.79 SAR 164

-4.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$13.26 SAR 49.79

-43.67%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$417 SAR 1,565

89.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$11.2K SAR 42.0K

9.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$42.38 SAR 159

103.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$55.8 SAR 209

6.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$97.9 SAR 368

41.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$74.6 SAR 280

32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$562 SAR 2,110

138.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$416 SAR 1,560

60.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$383 SAR 1,439

415.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$620 SAR 2,327

66.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,915 SAR 7,189

113.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,353 SAR 5,078

43.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,732 SAR 6,502

-62.70%

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 Ar-rass: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Ar-rass

$416 35.8% 37.7% $252

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Ar-rass

$197 16.9% 36% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Ar-rass

$179 15.4% 19.3% $43

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Ar-rass

$123 10.5% 29% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Ar-rass

$122 10.5% 29.3% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Ar-rass

$56 4.8% 39.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Ar-rass

$70 6.1% 23.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $562 in Ar-rass. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays about 2.7 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 $38 in Ar-rass for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $197 per month, with Ar-rass cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

121,359

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ar-rass 12,540 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ar-rass

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 Ar-rass: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,162 in Ar-rass, so Ar-rass is about 31% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 63% 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $562 in Ar-rass. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $417 in Ar-rass. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Ar-rass 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.

Expats usually find Ar-rass gentler on the wallet – expenses run 31% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.