Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ardiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Ardiya: $1,411 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Ardiya
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Ardiya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ardiya

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ardiya

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,411 in Ardiya, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ardiya $1,411

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,405 in Ardiya, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ardiya $2,405

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,400 in Ardiya, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ardiya $3,400

Medellin costs about 16% more than Ardiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Ardiya sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Ardiya by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.86 KWD 3.96

-37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$63.7 KWD 19.62

-26.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.71 KWD 2.68

9.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 KWD 1.53

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.26 KWD 1.62

-42.78%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.70 KWD 0.22

157.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.29 KWD 0.09

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.64 KWD 0.51

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.46 KWD 0.45

63.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.97 KWD 0.61

-10.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.08 KWD 0.64

38.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.48 KWD 1.38

127.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.54 KWD 2.01

50.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.15 KWD 3.13

37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.47 KWD 0.76

60.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.93 KWD 0.59

-19.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.80 KWD 0.56

21.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.50 KWD 0.46

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.35 KWD 0.42

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.43 KWD 0.44

11.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.28 KWD 0.70

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.55 KWD 0.17

125.45%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 KWD 0.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.78 KWD 0.86

42.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.71 KWD 0.22

64.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.92 KWD 1.52

-74.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.18 KWD 0.98

-35.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$16.14 KWD 4.97

-47.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.33 KWD 0.10

309.09%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$23.8K KWD 7,324

43.31%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$20.0K KWD 6,153

73.60%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$64.4 KWD 19.83

163.51%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$22.13 KWD 6.82

-38.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$30.44 KWD 9.38

-7.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$106 KWD 32.66

-58.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.78 KWD 3.94

-45.93%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$500 KWD 154

59.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,247 KWD 2,849

-1.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$37.97 KWD 11.70

123.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$40.11 KWD 12.36

44.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$98.8 KWD 30.45

36.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$88.9 KWD 27.39

10.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$902 KWD 278

33.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$638 KWD 197

0.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,587 KWD 489

27.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,508 KWD 465

-32.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Ardiya: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ardiya

$638 45.2% 0.6% $3.6

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ardiya

$185 13.1% 37.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ardiya

$117 8.3% 44.6% $94

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ardiya

$196 13.9% 15.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ardiya

$120 8.5% 29.2% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ardiya

$24 * 1.7% 74.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ardiya

$132 9.3% 129% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $902 in Ardiya. 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 $64 in Ardiya. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $185 in Ardiya – so Ardiya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Ardiya

🕒 Local time

13:00 1:00 PM

21:00 9:00 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

36,447

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ardiya 12,800 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ardiya

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 Ardiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 16% more than Ardiya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,116 in Ardiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ardiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $902 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $64 in Ardiya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,411 in Ardiya. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ardiya costs $1,411 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.