Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Rabigh

For one person, living is cheaper in Rabigh: $959 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Rabigh
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Rabigh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Rabigh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Rabigh

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $959 in Rabigh, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Rabigh $959

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,473 in Rabigh, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Rabigh $1,473

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,987 in Rabigh, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Rabigh $1,987

Medellin costs about 77% more than Rabigh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Rabigh is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$4.61 SAR 17.32

80.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$26.72 SAR 100

74.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$6.98 SAR 26.19

35.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.68 SAR 10.04

16.79%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.67 SAR 2.50

164.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.25 SAR 0.94

468.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.84 SAR 6.91

-16.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.01 SAR 3.80

126.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.16 SAR 8.10

-10.19%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.66 SAR 9.97

15.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$6.07 SAR 22.79

64.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$11.92 SAR 44.73

-12.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$12.76 SAR 47.90

9.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.08 SAR 7.82

94.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.64 SAR 6.17

-6.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.73 SAR 6.49

21.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.47 SAR 5.51

55.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.32 SAR 4.97

59.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.50 SAR 5.61

14.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.09 SAR 4.10

7.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.72 SAR 2.71

119.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.22

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$7.96 SAR 29.87

-50.88%

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

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.04 SAR 3.92

13.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$36.96 SAR 139

106.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.46 SAR 9.24

-26.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$2.70 SAR 10.13

-21.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$13.59 SAR 51.0

-40.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$0.64 SAR 2.40

100.00%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$25.9K SAR 97.0K

33.22%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$21.9K SAR 82.1K

56.07%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$67.6 SAR 254

162.76%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$35.15 SAR 132

-60.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$62.3 SAR 234

-50.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$80.0 SAR 300

-47.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$15.44 SAR 58.0

-51.62%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$420 SAR 1,575

88.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,799 SAR 29.3K

57.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$13.60 SAR 51.0

534.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$55.6 SAR 209

6.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$40.18 SAR 151

244.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$52.7 SAR 198

87.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$337 SAR 1,265

297.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$241 SAR 903

177.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$612 SAR 2,296

222.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$431 SAR 1,619

139.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,983 SAR 7,443

106.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,363 SAR 5,117

42.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Rabigh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Rabigh

$241 25.1% 63.9% $427

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Rabigh

$218 22.8% 28.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Rabigh

$165 17.2% 25.8% $57

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Rabigh

$94 9.8% 45.8% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Rabigh

$73 7.6% 57.6% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Rabigh

$57 6% 38.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Rabigh

$111 11.6% 94.9% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $337 in Rabigh. 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 $27 in Rabigh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $218 – making Rabigh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Rabigh

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

92,072

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Rabigh 12,220 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Rabigh

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 Rabigh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,438 in Rabigh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rabigh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Rabigh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $959 in Rabigh. That makes Rabigh about 43% cheaper.

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

For expats, Rabigh is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 43% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.