Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Budaiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Budaiya: $812 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Budaiya
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Budaiya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Budaiya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Budaiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $812 in Budaiya.

Medellin $1,639
Budaiya $812

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,288 in Budaiya.

Medellin $2,413
Budaiya $1,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,763 in Budaiya.

Medellin $3,186
Budaiya $1,763

Living in Medellin is roughly 102% more expensive than in Budaiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Budaiya is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.44 BHD 2.05

48.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.8K

$52.2 BHD 19.66

-9.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.61 BHD 2.49

43.72%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,729

$5.03 BHD 1.90

-40.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,806

$0.84 BHD 0.32

114.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,558

$0.28 BHD 0.11

403.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$6.78 BHD 2.56

-53.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$9.98 BHD 3.76

-42.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,873

$1.39 BHD 0.52

8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,673

$1.05 BHD 0.40

126.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,716

$2.39 BHD 0.90

-25.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,327

$2.24 BHD 0.84

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.45 BHD 3.19

20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.59 BHD 2.49

49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.45 BHD 3.19

65.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.35 BHD 0.89

68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,009

$2.22 BHD 0.84

-30.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,044

$1.94 BHD 0.73

12.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.45 BHD 0.55

50.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,333

$1.02 BHD 0.38

92.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,129

$1.43 BHD 0.54

11.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,696

$1.53 BHD 0.58

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,012

$0.79 BHD 0.30

56.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.37 BHD 2.03

-26.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$18.20 BHD 6.86

-24.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,356

$3.68 BHD 1.39

-54.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,286

$2.60 BHD 0.98

-13.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,769

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,092

$5.22 BHD 1.97

-75.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,608

$3.43 BHD 1.29

-40.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$16.15 BHD 6.09

-47.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,346

$0.69 BHD 0.26

95.65%

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

$34.1K COP 109.9M

$26.5K BHD 9,985

28.66%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$19.9K BHD 7,507

74.16%

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

$170 COP 547.5K

$151 BHD 57.0

12.34%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$24.28 BHD 9.16

-44.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$34.89 BHD 13.16

-19.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$10.40 BHD 3.92

-33.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$614 BHD 231

29.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.9K BHD 4,128

-16.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.4K

$50.6 BHD 19.07

67.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.0K

$57.2 BHD 21.55

1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.5K

$89.5 BHD 33.73

50.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.8K

$88.8 BHD 33.49

10.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.21

76.17%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Budaiya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Budaiya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Budaiya

$248 30.6% 16.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Budaiya

$210 25.9% 0.5% $1.1

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Budaiya

$182 22.4% 7.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Budaiya

$129 15.8% 23.8% $40

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Budaiya

$22 * 2.8% 76.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Budaiya

$21 * 2.6% 63.9% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $52 in Budaiya. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $248, with Budaiya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇭 Budaiya

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

08:09 8:09 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

30,702

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,227 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,617 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.37 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Budaiya 13,170 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Budaiya

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 Budaiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budaiya wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Budaiya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,219 in Budaiya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $812 in Budaiya – Budaiya is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Budaiya is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.