Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Qairawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Qairawan: $1,282 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
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Qairawan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Qairawan

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,282 in Qairawan, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Qairawan $1,282

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,101 in Qairawan, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Qairawan $2,101

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,920 in Qairawan, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Qairawan $2,920

Medellin costs about 26% more than Qairawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Qairawan is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$8.23 KWD 2.54

-3.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$56.6 KWD 17.45

-18.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.21 KWD 2.22

31.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 KWD 0.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 KWD 1.06

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$5.46 KWD 1.68

-43.04%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.53 KWD 0.16

245.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.31 KWD 0.10

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.25 KWD 0.38

16.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.86 KWD 0.27

174.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$2.09 KWD 0.65

-19.62%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.83 KWD 0.56

56.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$4.45 KWD 1.37

128.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.07 KWD 1.87

57.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.29 KWD 3.17

36.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.20 KWD 0.68

85.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$2.03 KWD 0.63

-26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.39 KWD 0.43

56.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.46 KWD 0.45

58.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.44 KWD 0.44

34.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.86 KWD 0.26

90.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.77 KWD 0.54

-36.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.50 KWD 0.15

150.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.94 KWD 0.91

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 KWD 0.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.37 KWD 0.73

68.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.79 KWD 0.24

53.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$3.02 KWD 0.93

-56.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$3.08 KWD 0.95

-30.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$17.48 KWD 5.38

-51.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.36 KWD 0.11

261.11%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$22.1K KWD 6,797

26.86%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$17.4K KWD 5,366

103.34%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$56.6 KWD 17.43

204.15%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$22.64 KWD 6.98

-40.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$30.25 KWD 9.32

-5.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$104 KWD 31.90

-56.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$9.92 KWD 3.06

-36.69%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$241 KWD 74.2

219.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$7,023 KWD 2,164

28.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$34.14 KWD 10.52

153.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$33.91 KWD 10.45

68.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$98.7 KWD 30.40

38.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$91.5 KWD 28.19

7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$826 KWD 254

27.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$588 KWD 181

4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,625 KWD 501

16.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,229 KWD 379

-16.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

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 12, 2026

Last update for Qairawan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Qairawan

$588 45.9% 4.5% $27

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Qairawan

$167 13% 43.5% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Qairawan

$109 8.5% 48.9% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Qairawan

$116 9.1% 31.7% $54

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Qairawan

$156 12.2% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Qairawan

$22 * 1.7% 76.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Qairawan

$123 9.6% 113% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $826 in Qairawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $57.0 in Qairawan. Groceries tell a different story – $295 in Medellin vs $167 in Qairawan – so Qairawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

15:39 3:39 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.346 KWD (1 KWD = 2.89 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Qairawan 12,800 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Qairawan

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 Qairawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,923 in Qairawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qairawan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $57.0 in Qairawan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 77% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Qairawan, where all-in costs run around $1,282, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Qairawan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Qairawan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Qairawan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.