Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Arar

For one person, living is cheaper in Arar: $1,185 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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 Arar
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Arar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Arar

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,185 in Arar, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Arar $1,185

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,820 in Arar, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Arar $1,820

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,454 in Arar, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Arar $2,454

Medellin costs about 43% more than Arar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Arar is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$7.45 SAR 27.97

11.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$34.32 SAR 129

35.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.87 SAR 25.77

37.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 SAR 8.92

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.04 SAR 11.39

2.96%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.81 SAR 3.04

118.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.24 SAR 0.91

491.67%

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 4,943

$1.53 SAR 5.76

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.39 SAR 5.22

64.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.26 SAR 8.47

-14.16%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.28 SAR 8.54

34.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$7.95 SAR 29.85

25.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.74 SAR 32.81

19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$13.35 SAR 50.1

4.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.43 SAR 9.12

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.78 SAR 6.67

-14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.73 SAR 6.50

21.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.39 SAR 5.22

64.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.33 SAR 4.98

58.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.43 SAR 5.38

19.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.35 SAR 5.06

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.54 SAR 2.02

192.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.18 SAR 11.93

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 SAR 6.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$7.47 SAR 28.04

-47.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.12 SAR 4.21

5.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$41.17 SAR 155

85.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.75 SAR 10.31

-34.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.48 SAR 5.57

43.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$13.41 SAR 50.3

-39.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$0.68 SAR 2.56

88.24%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$29.6K SAR 111.2K

16.24%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$23.2K SAR 87.2K

46.99%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$111 SAR 416

60.30%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$28.89 SAR 108

-51.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$60.5 SAR 227

-49.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$73.8 SAR 277

-43.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$13.55 SAR 50.9

-44.87%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$394 SAR 1,481

100.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

17.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$39.59 SAR 149

118.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$50.1 SAR 188

18.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$110 SAR 413

25.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$75.1 SAR 282

31.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$627 SAR 2,355

113.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$373 SAR 1,400

78.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$812 SAR 3,049

143.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$701 SAR 2,632

47.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,731 SAR 6,496

136.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,161 SAR 4,356

67.16%

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 Arar: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Arar

$373 31.5% 44.1% $294

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Arar

$210 17.8% 31.6% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Arar

$200 16.9% 9.9% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Arar

$121 10.2% 30% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Arar

$124 10.4% 28.2% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Arar

$56 4.7% 40.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Arar

$101 8.5% 77.4% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $627 in Arar. 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 $34 in Arar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $210 – making Arar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Arar

🕒 Local time

22:38 10:38 PM

06:38 6:38 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

167,057

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 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

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Between locations

Medellin Arar 12,120 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Arar

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 Arar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,185 in Arar – Arar comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,777 in Arar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $627 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $394 in Arar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,185 in Arar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Arar is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.