Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Mecca

For one person, living is cheaper in Mecca: $1,076 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Mecca
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Mecca Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Mecca

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Mecca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,076 in Mecca.

Medellin $1,639
Mecca $1,076

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,613 in Mecca.

Medellin $2,413
Mecca $1,613

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,151 in Mecca.

Medellin $3,186
Mecca $2,151

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Mecca is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$4.64 SAR 17.41

74.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$26.18 SAR 98.2

79.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.00 SAR 26.27

35.71%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 SAR 5.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.86

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.53 SAR 9.50

18.97%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.71 SAR 2.67

153.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.25 SAR 0.94

464.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-10.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.96 SAR 3.62

147.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.10 SAR 7.89

-15.71%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.50 SAR 9.39

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$5.91 SAR 22.16

72.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$8.18 SAR 30.71

20.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.00 SAR 48.77

7.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.09 SAR 7.83

89.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.62 SAR 6.06

-4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.60 SAR 5.99

36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.54 SAR 5.76

41.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.17 SAR 4.39

67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.32 SAR 4.94

20.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.09 SAR 4.08

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.54 SAR 2.03

129.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.24 SAR 15.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.62

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.70 SAR 25.16

-40.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.09 SAR 4.07

7.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$45.74 SAR 172

69.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.43 SAR 9.11

-47.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.77 SAR 6.65

15.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$13.28 SAR 49.84

-35.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.61 SAR 2.27

121.31%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$26.5K SAR 99.5K

28.49%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$21.4K SAR 80.2K

62.21%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$67.8 SAR 254

150.37%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$34.99 SAR 131

-61.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$61.9 SAR 232

-54.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$80.8 SAR 303

-45.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$41.97 SAR 157

-59.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.00 SAR 45.04

-42.42%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$757 SAR 2,840

5.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$16.8K SAR 63.0K

-45.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$13.39 SAR 50.3

532.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$56.6 SAR 212

2.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$39.94 SAR 150

237.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$52.6 SAR 197

86.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$603 SAR 2,264

100.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$386 SAR 1,449

66.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$903 SAR 3,388

124.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$620 SAR 2,327

63.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$5,392 SAR 20.2K

-22.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,411 SAR 5,293

35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,071 SAR 4,020

-38.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.25

108.38%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mecca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Mecca

$386 35.9% 39.8% $255

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Mecca

$194 18% 34.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Mecca

$165 15.3% 22.1% $47

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Mecca

$92 8.6% 45.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Mecca

$73 6.8% 56.7% $96

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Mecca

$61 5.7% 34.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Mecca

$105 9.7% 82.1% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $603 in Mecca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mecca pays 63% 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 $26 in Mecca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $194 per month, with Mecca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Mecca

🕒 Local time

18:17 6:17 PM

02:17 2:17 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,675,368

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Mecca 12,340 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Mecca

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 Mecca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mecca is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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 $603 in Mecca. 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 $1,076 in Mecca – Mecca is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mecca runs roughly 41% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,076 in Mecca versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mecca but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Mecca 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 Mecca 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.