Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Qalyub

For one person, living is cheaper in Qalyub: $451 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Qalyub
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Qalyub Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Qalyub

🇪🇬 Egypt

$451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Qalyub

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $451 in Qalyub, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Qalyub $451

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $740 in Qalyub, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Qalyub $740

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,028 in Qalyub, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Qalyub $1,028

Medellin costs about 260% more than Qalyub, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Qalyub is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.1K

$4.33 E£241

91.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 147.5K

$19.25 E£1,073

143.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.1K

$4.73 E£264

95.35%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,596

$1.32 E£73.5

131.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,659

$0.29 E£16.43

520.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,345

$0.13 E£7.38

961.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.2K

$1.32 E£73.3

145.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.5K

$2.29 E£128

142.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,720

$0.82 E£45.70

82.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,445

$0.70 E£39.29

238.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,332

$0.59 E£32.92

188.14%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,301

$1.13 E£62.8

161.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.1K

$3.80 E£212

168.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.6K

$4.35 E£242

123.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 43.7K

$9.12 E£508

52.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.0K

$1.54 E£86.0

168.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,799

$0.78 E£43.67

96.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 6,993

$0.57 E£31.54

289.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,135

$0.33 E£18.27

587.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,258

$0.24 E£13.37

729.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,241

$0.32 E£18.05

421.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,711

$0.25 E£13.82

372.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,886

$0.20 E£11.00

520.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.2K

$1.93 E£108

100.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.3K

$5.77 E£322

138.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,212

$1.19 E£66.6

39.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,552

$2.21 E£123

8.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.20 E£11.12

520.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 245.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,011

$0.40 E£22.23

220.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,747

$0.20 E£11.21

975.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.3K

$1.20 E£66.8

597.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,252

$0.42 E£23.69

221.43%

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

$34.8K COP 109.3M

$32.3K E£1.8M

7.55%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.9K E£1.5M

29.14%

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

$167 COP 524.0K

$14.31 E£798

1064.57%

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

$13.62 COP 42.8K

$6.72 E£375

102.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 91.6K

$13.08 E£729

122.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 141.8K

$16.40 E£915

174.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.0K

$0.91 E£51.0

1787.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 21.9K

$2.77 E£155

151.62%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$86.6 E£4,832

811.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.4M

$2,104 E£117.3K

329.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 276.1K

$33.54 E£1,870

161.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 182.8K

$45.09 E£2,515

28.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 437.0K

$117 E£6,499

19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 310.9K

$56.0 E£3,123

76.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.2M

$132 E£7,358

679.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 1.9M

$76.8 E£4,281

707.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 5.9M

$251 E£14.0K

648.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$144 E£8,034

599.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.5M

$752 E£41.9K

430.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$357 E£19.9K

377.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

16.21

-32.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Qalyub: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Qalyub

$77 17% 87.6% $543

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Qalyub

$126 27.8% 57.9% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Qalyub

$34 7.6% 83.7% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Qalyub

$113 25.1% 34.6% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Qalyub

$78 17.2% 54.6% $93

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Qalyub

$2.2 * 0.5% 97.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Qalyub

$22 4.9% 62.8% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $132 in Qalyub. 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 $47 in Medellin versus $19 in Qalyub. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $126 – making Qalyub the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Qalyub

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

109,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Qalyub 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Qalyub

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 Qalyub: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 260%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $677 in Qalyub. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Qalyub, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $132 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Qalyub. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 137% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Qalyub, where all-in costs run around $451, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Qalyub it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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