Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Hawalli

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawalli: $667 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Hawalli
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Hawalli Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Hawalli

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Hawalli

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $667 in Hawalli, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Hawalli $667

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,779 in Hawalli, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Hawalli $2,779

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $4,892 in Hawalli, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Hawalli $4,892

Medellin costs about 142% more than Hawalli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Hawalli is 51% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.89 KWD 1.51

62.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$64.8 KWD 19.97

-28.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.77 KWD 2.70

8.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$4.79 KWD 1.48

-35.07%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.44 KWD 0.14

315.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.29 KWD 0.09

375.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.58 KWD 0.49

-8.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.53 KWD 0.47

54.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.96 KWD 0.60

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.08 KWD 0.64

37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$3.14 KWD 0.97

224.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.72 KWD 1.45

101.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$3.27 KWD 1.01

329.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.47 KWD 0.76

64.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.90 KWD 0.58

-21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.76 KWD 0.54

23.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.47 KWD 0.45

57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.31 KWD 0.40

47.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.42 KWD 0.44

15.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$2.35 KWD 0.72

-51.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.53 KWD 0.16

135.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.74 KWD 0.84

45.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.83 KWD 0.26

45.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$49.05 KWD 15.11

55.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$4.73 KWD 1.46

-72.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$3.29 KWD 1.01

-34.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$15.74 KWD 4.85

-46.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.35 KWD 0.11

271.43%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$21.0K KWD 6,484

32.99%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$20.3K KWD 6,246

74.70%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$66.5 KWD 20.49

158.78%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$22.61 KWD 6.97

-40.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$25.42 KWD 7.83

13.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$63.8 KWD 19.66

-29.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$11.40 KWD 3.51

-44.91%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$299 KWD 92.1

157.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$9,529 KWD 2,936

-5.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$31.80 KWD 9.80

171.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$39.08 KWD 12.04

46.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$97.7 KWD 30.09

39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$89.1 KWD 27.45

9.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$3,238 KWD 998

-68.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,865 KWD 575

-65.02%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Hawalli: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Hawalli

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Hawalli

$151 22.6% 48.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Hawalli

$115 17.2% 46.5% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Hawalli

$116 17.4% 31.8% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Hawalli

$126 18.9% 25.3% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Hawalli

$74 11% 21.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Hawalli

$87 13% 49.8% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 186% higher in Hawalli, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $65.0 in Hawalli. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $151 in Hawalli – so Hawalli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Hawalli

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

164,212

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Hawalli 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Hawalli

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 Hawalli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $667 in Hawalli – roughly 142% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,001 in Hawalli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $65.0 in Hawalli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawalli, where all-in costs run around $667, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Hawalli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $667 in Hawalli to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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