Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hafar Al Batin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hafar Al Batin: $1,177 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Hafar Al Batin
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Hafar Al Batin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Hafar Al Batin

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,177

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,177 in Hafar Al Batin.

Medellin $1,639
Hafar Al Batin $1,177

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,740 in Hafar Al Batin.

Medellin $2,413
Hafar Al Batin $1,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,303 in Hafar Al Batin.

Medellin $3,186
Hafar Al Batin $2,303

Living in Medellin is roughly 39% more expensive than in Hafar Al Batin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Hafar Al Batin is 14% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$5.95 SAR 22.34

35.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$36.72 SAR 138

28.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.00 SAR 30.02

18.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.54

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.19 SAR 11.97

-5.64%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.89 SAR 3.32

102.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.24 SAR 0.90

487.50%

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

$2.04 SAR 7.67

-25.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.26 SAR 4.73

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.23 SAR 8.38

-20.63%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.33 SAR 8.73

24.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.35 SAR 27.59

38.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.66 SAR 28.76

28.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$12.71 SAR 47.69

10.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.16 SAR 8.09

83.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-10.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.56 SAR 5.87

39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.56 SAR 5.84

39.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.23 SAR 4.63

59.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.27 SAR 4.76

25.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.22 SAR 4.60

-5.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.57 SAR 2.13

117.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.72

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.84 SAR 25.66

-42.11%

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

$1.09 SAR 4.07

7.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$36.77 SAR 138

110.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-51.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.89 SAR 7.10

8.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$13.19 SAR 49.49

-35.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.65 SAR 2.45

107.69%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

18.93%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.9K SAR 82.0K

58.59%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$103 SAR 385

65.14%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$32.43 SAR 122

-58.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$65.7 SAR 246

-57.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$80.6 SAR 302

-45.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$13.06 SAR 49.02

-47.09%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$427 SAR 1,604

86.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,044 SAR 30.2K

13.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$41.48 SAR 156

104.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$53.4 SAR 200

8.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$94.4 SAR 354

43.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$87.2 SAR 327

12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$568 SAR 2,130

112.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$374 SAR 1,403

71.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$803 SAR 3,011

152.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$561 SAR 2,106

80.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,396 SAR 8,992

74.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,386 SAR 5,201

37.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,403 SAR 5,266

-53.17%

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Hafar Al Batin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Hafar Al Batin

$374 31.8% 41.7% $268

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Hafar Al Batin

$203 17.3% 31.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Hafar Al Batin

$201 17.1% 5% $10

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Hafar Al Batin

$114 9.7% 32.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Hafar Al Batin

$124 10.6% 26.4% $45

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Hafar Al Batin

$53 4.5% 43.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Hafar Al Batin

$107 9.1% 85.5% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $568 in Hafar Al Batin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hafar Al Batin pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $37 in Hafar Al Batin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $203 per month, with Hafar Al Batin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Hafar Al Batin

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

23:38 11:38 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

271,642

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hafar Al Batin 12,670 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafar Al Batin wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hafar Al Batin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 53% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $568 in Hafar Al Batin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $427 in Hafar Al Batin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Hafar Al Batin is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Hafar Al Batin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.