Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and As-salimiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in As-salimiyah: $1,328 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
As-salimiyah, Kuwait
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
As-salimiyah
🇰🇼 Kuwait
$1,328
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in As-salimiyah

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,328 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • As-salimiyah $1,328

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,190 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • As-salimiyah $2,190

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,051 in As-salimiyah, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • As-salimiyah $3,051

Medellin costs about 23% more than As-salimiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while As-salimiyah is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$8.23 KWD 2.54
-1.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$38.19 KWD 11.77
23.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$9.10 KWD 2.81
4.40%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.28 KWD 1.01
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 KWD 0.50
-
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,734
$4.48 KWD 1.38
-32.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.75 KWD 0.23
140.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,560
$0.29 KWD 0.09
386.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,875
$1.31 KWD 0.40
15.27%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,677
$0.75 KWD 0.23
217.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,719
$1.97 KWD 0.61
-10.15%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,332
$2.13 KWD 0.66
35.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$4.43 KWD 1.36
130.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$5.31 KWD 1.64
85.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$9.46 KWD 2.92
47.89%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$2.14 KWD 0.66
85.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,011
$1.62 KWD 0.50
-4.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,047
$1.25 KWD 0.39
74.40%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,050
$1.47 KWD 0.45
48.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,336
$1.36 KWD 0.42
44.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,131
$0.82 KWD 0.25
93.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,698
$1.57 KWD 0.48
-26.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.50 KWD 0.15
148.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.23 KWD 1.00
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.01 KWD 0.31
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.43 KWD 0.44
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$2.71 KWD 0.84
46.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,290
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,770
$0.84 KWD 0.26
39.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$48.79 KWD 15.04
58.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$3.31 KWD 1.02
-61.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,611
$3.31 KWD 1.02
-38.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$15.94 KWD 4.91
-46.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,348
$0.36 KWD 0.11
275.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$23.4K KWD 7,222
45.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$20.1K KWD 6,202
72.29%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.7K
$32.30 KWD 9.95
425.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.7K
$21.28 KWD 6.56
-36.33%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$30.14 KWD 9.29
-6.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$97.8 KWD 30.15
-55.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$64.0 KWD 19.71
-73.12%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$11.14 KWD 3.43
-37.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$275 KWD 84.9
189.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$6,338 KWD 1,953
43.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$36.80 KWD 11.34
130.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.1K
$39.01 KWD 12.02
48.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.7K
$89.2 KWD 27.50
51.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$64.7 KWD 19.94
51.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$896 KWD 276
34.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$642 KWD 198
-0.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$1,771 KWD 546
14.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$1,388 KWD 428
-27.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
As-salimiyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$2,815 KWD 867
-76.65%
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 As-salimiyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
As-salimiyah
$642 0.1% $0.4
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
As-salimiyah
$156 47.5% $141
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
As-salimiyah
$84 60.4% $128
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
As-salimiyah
$151 10.9% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
As-salimiyah
$103 38.8% $66
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
As-salimiyah
$72 23% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
As-salimiyah
$120 109% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $896 in As-salimiyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in As-salimiyah are about 4.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $38 in As-salimiyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $156 – making As-salimiyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇰🇼 As-salimiyah
🕒 Local time
14:51 2:51 PM
22:51 10:51 PM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
147,649
💱 Currency
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك
Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.345 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin As-salimiyah 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • As-salimiyah

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 As-salimiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is As-salimiyah cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,992 in As-salimiyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in As-salimiyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $896 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in As-salimiyah?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,328 in As-salimiyah. That makes As-salimiyah about 19% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 37% less in As-salimiyah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in As-salimiyah?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in As-salimiyah, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Medellin at $1,639. In As-salimiyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or As-salimiyah more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward As-salimiyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, As-salimiyah is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 19% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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