Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Khamis Mushayt

For one person, living is cheaper in Khamis Mushayt: $1,113 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Khamis Mushayt
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,113
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Khamis Mushayt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Khamis Mushayt $1,113

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,645 in Khamis Mushayt.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Khamis Mushayt $1,645

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,178 in Khamis Mushayt.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Khamis Mushayt $2,178

Living in Medellin is roughly 52% more expensive than in Khamis Mushayt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Khamis Mushayt is 18% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 27.0K
$4.56 SAR 17.11
82.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.9K
$32.11 SAR 121
44.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.7K
$6.89 SAR 25.87
37.45%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.72 SAR 6.47
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.12 SAR 7.97
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.2K
$2.94 SAR 11.04
6.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,727
$0.68 SAR 2.56
160.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,619
$0.21 SAR 0.79
576.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.5K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,969
$1.63 SAR 6.11
-6.13%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,429
$0.39 SAR 1.46
487.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,306
$3.28 SAR 12.31
-40.85%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,942
$2.43 SAR 9.11
26.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.4K
$6.41 SAR 24.06
55.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.9K
$5.54 SAR 20.80
88.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.3K
$12.76 SAR 47.89
9.40%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.23 SAR 8.35
81.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,956
$1.69 SAR 6.32
-9.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,823
$1.60 SAR 6.02
31.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,437
$1.61 SAR 6.02
42.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,839
$1.21 SAR 4.56
74.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,542
$1.31 SAR 4.91
30.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,794
$1.29 SAR 4.83
-9.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,123
$0.52 SAR 1.96
203.85%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$2.60 SAR 9.76
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.77 SAR 6.65
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.19 SAR 8.23
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.7K
$6.81 SAR 25.56
-42.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.5K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,712
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,793
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,825
$0.92 SAR 3.47
28.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 247.4K
$35.04 SAR 132
117.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,859
$2.69 SAR 10.09
-32.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,904
$1.90 SAR 7.14
12.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.4K
$13.69 SAR 51.4
-40.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,135
$0.64 SAR 2.42
100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.7M
$32.9K SAR 123.6K
4.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.7M
$22.5K SAR 84.3K
51.92%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 576.3K
$103 SAR 386
72.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 45.0K
$32.00 SAR 120
-56.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.7K
$59.3 SAR 223
-48.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 136.0K
$77.6 SAR 291
-45.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.5K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.2K
$13.30 SAR 49.93
-43.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$443 SAR 1,662
78.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.9M
$10.2K SAR 38.2K
20.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 279.9K
$42.84 SAR 161
101.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 192.2K
$62.1 SAR 233
-4.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 448.6K
$100 SAR 375
38.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 320.4K
$86.1 SAR 323
14.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$484 SAR 1,818
176.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$355 SAR 1,333
87.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$939 SAR 3,524
110.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$551 SAR 2,069
87.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.3M
$2,026 SAR 7,605
102.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,134 SAR 4,257
71.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Khamis Mushayt
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$1,567 SAR 5,880
-58.76%
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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Khamis Mushayt
$355 46.7% $312
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Khamis Mushayt
$182 40.9% $126
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Khamis Mushayt
$194 12.7% $28
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Khamis Mushayt
$96 44.4% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Khamis Mushayt
$131 23.9% $41
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Khamis Mushayt
$51 45.5% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Khamis Mushayt
$104 83.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $484 in Khamis Mushayt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Khamis Mushayt 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 $32 in Khamis Mushayt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $182 per month, with Khamis Mushayt cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt
🕒 Local time
08:37 8:37 AM
16:37 4:37 PM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
430,828
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Khamis Mushayt 12,720 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Khamis Mushayt

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 Khamis Mushayt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Medellin or Khamis Mushayt?
Khamis Mushayt wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Khamis Mushayt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Medellin or in Khamis Mushayt?
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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Medellin compared to Khamis Mushayt?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $484 in Khamis Mushayt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How expensive is transport in Medellin compared to Khamis Mushayt?
A monthly transit pass in Khamis Mushayt runs roughly 54% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
How do childcare costs compare in Medellin and in Khamis Mushayt?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $443 in Khamis Mushayt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Medellin or in Khamis Mushayt?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Khamis Mushayt is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Medellin or Khamis Mushayt?
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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Khamis Mushayt gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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