Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lusail

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusail: $753 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Lusail, Qatar
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Lusail
🇶🇦 Qatar
$753
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lusail

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $753 in Lusail, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Lusail $753

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,277 in Lusail, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Lusail $1,277

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,800 in Lusail, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Lusail $1,800

Medellin costs about 125% more than Lusail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Lusail is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$8.19 QAR 29.81
1.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$69.1 QAR 252
-32.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.5K
$8.37 QAR 30.46
13.14%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$8.11 QAR 29.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$9.60 QAR 34.93
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$5.50 QAR 20.00
-43.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,696
$0.79 QAR 2.86
124.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,594
$0.28 QAR 1.03
407.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,943
$2.10 QAR 7.64
-27.14%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,389
$1.37 QAR 4.99
67.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,273
$1.38 QAR 5.02
40.58%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,889
$3.22 QAR 11.73
-4.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$11.30 QAR 41.12
-11.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$8.45 QAR 30.77
23.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$11.51 QAR 41.88
21.29%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.26 QAR 8.22
79.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,929
$1.77 QAR 6.44
-13.56%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,786
$1.64 QAR 5.95
28.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$0.52 QAR 1.91
340.38%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,803
$0.52 QAR 1.90
305.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,512
$0.53 QAR 1.92
222.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,774
$1.44 QAR 5.26
-18.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,096
$0.50 QAR 1.84
216.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$9.80 QAR 35.68
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.97 QAR 7.18
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.28 QAR 8.30
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$6.67 QAR 24.26
-41.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,682
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,746
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,805
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.0K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,827
$1.96 QAR 7.12
-7.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,867
$1.88 QAR 6.84
13.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$13.81 QAR 50.3
-41.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,113
$0.59 QAR 2.13
116.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$24.1K QAR 87.7K
42.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$21.6K QAR 78.6K
58.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.2K
$90.5 QAR 330
96.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$34.47 QAR 125
-59.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.1K
$89.0 QAR 324
-65.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.3K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$12.30 QAR 44.78
-39.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$732 QAR 2,665
7.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$16.8K QAR 61.3K
-26.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.4K
$62.6 QAR 228
37.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.1K
$48.66 QAR 177
21.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.2K
$98.1 QAR 357
41.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.7K
$85.2 QAR 310
15.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Lusail
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$1,365 QAR 4,969
-52.67%
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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lusail: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Lusail
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Lusail
$209 31.9% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Lusail
$214 3.8% $8.4
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Lusail
$161 6.8% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Lusail
$133 23% $40
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Lusail
$11 * 87.8% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Lusail
$25 * 56.7% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Lusail are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $47 in Medellin versus $69 in Lusail. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $209 in Lusail – so Lusail wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇶🇦 Lusail
🕒 Local time
19:56 7:56 PM
03:56 3:56 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
198,600
💱 Currency
Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق
Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Lusail 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Lusail

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 Lusail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Medellin and in Lusail compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $753 in Lusail – Lusail comes out roughly 56% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Medellin compared to Lusail?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,129 in Lusail. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $69 in Lusail. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 47% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Lusail, where all-in costs run around $753, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Lusail it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should digital nomads live: Medellin or Lusail?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lusail costs $753 versus $1,692 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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