Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Jubail

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,100 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,100

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Jubail

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,100 in Jubail.

Medellin $1,639
Jubail $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,720 in Jubail.

Medellin $2,413
Jubail $1,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,339 in Jubail.

Medellin $3,186
Jubail $2,339

Living in Medellin is roughly 49% more expensive than in Jubail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Jubail is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.82 SAR 25.61

18.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$39.32 SAR 148

19.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.07 SAR 34.04

4.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.22

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.99 SAR 14.98

-24.56%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.00 SAR 3.74

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.28 SAR 1.06

403.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.50 SAR 5.62

0.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.45 SAR 5.46

64.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.62 SAR 6.09

9.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.06 SAR 7.74

40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.82 SAR 36.86

3.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.44 SAR 24.17

53.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$12.15 SAR 45.59

15.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.24 SAR 8.39

77.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.76 SAR 6.60

-11.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.56 SAR 5.87

39.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.69 SAR 6.35

28.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.29 SAR 4.85

51.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.40 SAR 5.25

13.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-34.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.54 SAR 2.04

129.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.22

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.64 SAR 24.91

-40.36%

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 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-10.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$23.90 SAR 89.7

223.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.25 SAR 12.21

-60.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.74 SAR 10.27

-25.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-36.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.61 SAR 2.27

121.31%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$26.8K SAR 100.5K

27.19%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

59.91%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$80.1 SAR 301

111.74%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$27.36 SAR 103

-50.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$66.1 SAR 248

-57.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$104 SAR 391

-58.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$39.93 SAR 150

-56.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$13.58 SAR 51.0

-49.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$178 SAR 668

347.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,690 SAR 28.9K

18.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$42.14 SAR 158

101.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$59.3 SAR 222

-2.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$80.1 SAR 300

68.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$86.6 SAR 325

13.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$424 SAR 1,591

184.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$295 SAR 1,105

117.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$667 SAR 2,503

204.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$520 SAR 1,951

94.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,743 SAR 10.3K

52.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,396 SAR 5,240

36.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,605 SAR 6,023

-59.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.62

94.66%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jubail: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Jubail

$295 26.8% 54.1% $347

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Jubail

$199 18.1% 33% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Jubail

$174 15.8% 17.8% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Jubail

$135 12.3% 20.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Jubail

$121 11% 28.6% $48

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Jubail

$46 4.2% 50.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Jubail

$131 11.9% 128% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $424 in Jubail. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jubail pays about 2.4 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 $39 in Jubail for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $199 per month, with Jubail cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Jubail

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

337,778

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Jubail 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Jubail

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 Jubail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jubail wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jubail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 59% 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 $424 in Jubail. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,100 in Jubail – Jubail is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Jubail runs roughly 69% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Jubail 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 Jubail gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.