Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Najran

For one person, living is cheaper in Najran: $1,238 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Najran, Saudi Arabia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Najran
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,238
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Najran

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,238 in Najran, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Najran $1,238

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,887 in Najran, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Najran $1,887

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,536 in Najran, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Najran $2,536

Medellin costs about 37% more than Najran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Najran is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Najran
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$7.99 SAR 30.00
4.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$36.76 SAR 138
26.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.5K
$9.12 SAR 34.24
3.84%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.68 SAR 6.30
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.37 SAR 5.14
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$4.49 SAR 16.84
-30.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,696
$0.64 SAR 2.41
176.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,594
$0.30 SAR 1.11
373.33%
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
Najran
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,943
$2.71 SAR 10.17
-43.54%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,389
$1.25 SAR 4.69
83.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,273
$2.28 SAR 8.55
-14.91%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,889
$2.41 SAR 9.06
27.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$7.51 SAR 28.21
33.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$7.91 SAR 29.70
32.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$12.77 SAR 47.91
9.32%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.12 SAR 7.95
91.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,929
$1.67 SAR 6.26
-8.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,786
$1.62 SAR 6.09
29.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$1.61 SAR 6.03
42.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,803
$1.24 SAR 4.64
70.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,512
$1.31 SAR 4.93
30.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,774
$1.19 SAR 4.48
-1.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,096
$0.54 SAR 2.01
192.59%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.00 SAR 11.25
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.82 SAR 6.83
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.02 SAR 7.59
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$6.44 SAR 24.19
-39.29%
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
Najran
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,805
$1.08 SAR 4.05
9.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.0K
$38.45 SAR 144
98.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,827
$2.63 SAR 9.86
-31.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,867
$1.94 SAR 7.27
9.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$14.12 SAR 53.0
-42.42%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,113
$0.54 SAR 2.04
137.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$30.9K SAR 115.9K
11.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$23.0K SAR 86.2K
48.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Najran
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.2K
$103 SAR 388
71.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$33.14 SAR 124
-58.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.1K
$66.1 SAR 248
-53.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Najran
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.3K
$77.9 SAR 292
-46.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
$81.0 SAR 304
-79.26%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$13.22 SAR 49.63
-43.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Najran
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$454 SAR 1,703
74.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$10.6K SAR 39.6K
16.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Najran
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.4K
$42.90 SAR 161
101.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.1K
$54.5 SAR 205
8.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.2K
$96.7 SAR 363
43.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.7K
$85.6 SAR 321
15.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Najran
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$544 SAR 2,040
146.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$390 SAR 1,463
71.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$937 SAR 3,518
110.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$614 SAR 2,306
68.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$1,949 SAR 7,314
110.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,268 SAR 4,760
52.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Najran
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$1,737 SAR 6,519
-62.80%
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 Najran: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Najran
$390 41.6% $277
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Najran
$211 31.2% $96
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Najran
$203 8.8% $20
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Najran
$149 13.7% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Najran
$126 26.9% $46
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Najran
$55 41.1% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Najran
$104 83.4% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $544 in Najran. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Najran are about 2.7 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 $37 in Najran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $211 – making Najran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇸🇦 Najran
🕒 Local time
22:43 10:43 PM
06:43 6:43 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
298,288
💱 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Najran 12,900 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Najran

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 Najran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Najran cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,857 in Najran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Najran, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $544 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Najran?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $37 in Najran. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Najran?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,238 in Najran. That makes Najran about 27% cheaper.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Najran?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,238 in Najran. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Medellin or Najran more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Najran – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Najran is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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