Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mahboula

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahboula: $1,239 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Mahboula
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Mahboula Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mahboula

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,239

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mahboula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,239 in Mahboula.

Medellin $1,639
Mahboula $1,239

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,004 in Mahboula.

Medellin $2,413
Mahboula $2,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,769 in Mahboula.

Medellin $3,186
Mahboula $2,769

Living in Medellin is roughly 32% more expensive than in Mahboula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Mahboula is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$6.57 KWD 2.04

23.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$25.24 KWD 7.84

86.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$8.92 KWD 2.77

6.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 KWD 0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 KWD 1.01

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$5.15 KWD 1.60

-41.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.49 KWD 0.15

267.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.14 KWD 0.04

907.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.63 KWD 0.51

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.99 KWD 0.31

140.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.87 KWD 0.58

-5.35%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.30 KWD 0.40

122.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$4.48 KWD 1.39

127.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$6.58 KWD 2.04

50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$10.41 KWD 3.24

34.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.50 KWD 0.78

58.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.95 KWD 0.60

-20.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.78 KWD 0.55

22.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.15 KWD 0.36

89.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.32 KWD 0.41

48.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.11 KWD 0.35

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$2.27 KWD 0.70

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.49 KWD 0.15

153.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.13 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 KWD 0.33

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$1.58 KWD 0.49

150.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.78 KWD 0.24

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$49.06 KWD 15.24

57.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.57 KWD 0.49

-19.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.60 KWD 0.50

28.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$5.50 KWD 1.71

55.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.15 KWD 0.05

800.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$19.6K KWD 6,096

73.67%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$17.5K KWD 5,449

97.72%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$65.7 KWD 20.43

158.10%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$16.29 KWD 5.06

-16.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$30.36 KWD 9.44

-7.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$97.6 KWD 30.32

-55.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$47.79 KWD 14.85

-64.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$12.67 KWD 3.94

-45.46%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$379 KWD 118

110.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$6,632 KWD 2,061

37.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$38.09 KWD 11.84

122.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$39.40 KWD 12.24

47.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$97.3 KWD 30.23

38.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$88.6 KWD 27.52

10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$737 KWD 229

63.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$505 KWD 157

26.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,769 KWD 550

14.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,118 KWD 347

-9.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,275 KWD 396

-48.48%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Mahboula: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mahboula

$505 40.8% 21.3% $136

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mahboula

$175 14.1% 41.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mahboula

$112 9.1% 46.8% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mahboula

$144 11.6% 15.3% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mahboula

$119 9.6% 29.9% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mahboula

$62 5% 34% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mahboula

$123 9.9% 114% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $737 in Mahboula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mahboula pays 94% 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 $25 in Mahboula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $175 per month, with Mahboula cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Mahboula

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

12:40 12:40 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,178

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,531 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.311 KWD (1 KWD = 3.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.347 KWD (1 KWD = 2.88 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Mahboula 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mahboula

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 Mahboula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahboula is about 24% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 48% 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 $737 in Mahboula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mahboula – a meal for two runs $25 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,239 in Mahboula – Mahboula is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,239 in Mahboula versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mahboula but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mahboula the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Mahboula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.