Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Doha

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $2,149 in Doha, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Doha
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Doha Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Doha

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $2,149 in Doha, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Doha $2,149

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $3,429 in Doha, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Doha $3,429

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $4,709 in Doha, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Doha $4,709

Medellin is about 24% cheaper than Doha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Medellin and Doha sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Doha by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$9.36 QAR 34.05

-13.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$69.1 QAR 251

-31.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.88 QAR 28.70

20.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.99 QAR 43.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.81 QAR 50.3

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$5.69 QAR 20.72

-47.10%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.90 QAR 3.29

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.41 QAR 1.48

243.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.08 QAR 7.57

-27.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.36 QAR 4.96

75.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.92 QAR 6.99

-7.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$3.38 QAR 12.29

-14.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$11.36 QAR 41.34

-10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$7.73 QAR 28.12

27.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$11.07 QAR 40.28

26.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.29 QAR 8.32

73.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.85 QAR 6.75

-16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.58 QAR 5.75

37.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.26 QAR 4.60

73.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.98 QAR 3.55

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.97 QAR 3.52

63.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.42 QAR 5.19

-19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.50 QAR 1.84

148.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.69 QAR 35.27

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 QAR 6.76

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 QAR 8.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.33 QAR 23.04

-37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.56 QAR 2.04

108.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$32.40 QAR 118

138.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.89 QAR 6.87

-32.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$2.09 QAR 7.61

-1.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$13.50 QAR 49.14

-36.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.55 QAR 2.00

145.45%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$24.2K QAR 88.1K

40.78%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$21.4K QAR 77.9K

62.04%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$83.6 QAR 304

102.88%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$33.81 QAR 123

-59.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$88.0 QAR 320

-68.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$194 QAR 707

-77.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$18.58 QAR 67.6

-7.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$12.28 QAR 44.68

-43.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$720 QAR 2,619

10.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$9,469 QAR 34.5K

-3.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$59.6 QAR 217

42.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$54.0 QAR 197

7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$99.4 QAR 362

35.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$83.7 QAR 305

16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$2,014 QAR 7,332

-40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$1,159 QAR 4,220

-44.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$3,486 QAR 12.7K

-41.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$2,403 QAR 8,748

-57.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$4,079 QAR 14.8K

2.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,416 QAR 8,796

-20.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,308 QAR 12.0K

-80.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.92

84.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Doha: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Doha

$1.2K 53.9% 80.7% $518

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Doha

$213 9.9% 28.2% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Doha

$205 9.6% 2.8% $5.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Doha

$172 8% 1.4% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Doha

$134 6.2% 21% $35

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Doha

$47 2.2% 49.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Doha

$219 10.2% 280% $161

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $2,014 in Doha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Doha are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $69 in Doha. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $213 in Doha – so Doha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇶🇦 Doha

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

12:39 12:39 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,312,947 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.246 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.06 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Doha 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Doha

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 Doha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Doha is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $3,224 in Doha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,208 there versus $2,014 in Doha.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Doha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $720 in Doha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $2,149 in Doha, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medellin costs $1,639 versus $2,149 in Doha. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Doha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.