Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Ras al-Khaimah despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Ras al-Khaimah $1,840

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $2,803 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Ras al-Khaimah $2,803

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $3,767 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Ras al-Khaimah $3,767

Medellin is about 12% cheaper than Ras al-Khaimah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Ras al-Khaimah sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Ras al-Khaimah by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$13.76 AED 50.5

-42.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$40.26 AED 148

14.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.53 AED 27.64

26.16%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$5.51 AED 20.22

-43.56%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.11 AED 4.08

64.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.48 AED 1.76

187.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$10.16 AED 37.32

-69.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$9.70 AED 35.63

-43.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.63 AED 6.00

-11.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$2.08 AED 7.65

13.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.96 AED 7.20

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.35 AED 8.62

21.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$12.68 AED 46.57

-19.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$9.95 AED 36.56

-4.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$15.46 AED 56.8

-9.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.01 AED 7.39

102.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.67 AED 6.14

-10.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.55 AED 5.69

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.36 AED 4.98

69.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.96 AED 3.54

101.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.87 AED 3.20

88.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.74 AED 6.39

-35.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.44 AED 1.61

184.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$6.97 AED 25.61

-42.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$13.58 AED 49.89

-1.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.63 AED 9.66

-35.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.88 AED 10.56

-17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$2.12 AED 7.80

-42.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$114 AED 419

-33.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.69 AED 6.21

-21.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.80 AED 2.93

167.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$8.16 AED 29.96

3.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.93 AED 3.41

39.78%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$45.8K AED 168.2K

-38.89%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$22.3K AED 82.0K

58.57%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$121 AED 444

42.28%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$44.73 AED 164

-70.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$79.4 AED 291

-63.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$57.9 AED 213

-21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$40.22 AED 148

-57.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$12.72 AED 46.70

-50.63%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$299 AED 1,099

157.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$4,462 AED 16.4K

101.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$80.6 AED 296

7.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$53.1 AED 195

7.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$119 AED 438

14.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$117 AED 430

-16.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$767 AED 2,819

37.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$657 AED 2,413

-6.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$1,660 AED 6,095

14.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$1,243 AED 4,563

-17.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$5,007 AED 18.4K

-18.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,962 AED 7,207

-14.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$1,577 AED 5,791

-58.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.92

122.36%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Ras al-Khaimah

$657 35.7% 6.7% $41

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$285 15.5% 3.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$245 13.3% 14.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$167 9.1% 2.1% $3.5

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Ras al-Khaimah

$275 15% 63.5% $107

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Ras al-Khaimah

$128 7% 37.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Ras al-Khaimah

$83 4.5% 44.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $767 in Ras al-Khaimah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 142% higher in Ras al-Khaimah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $285 – making Ras al-Khaimah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

11:22 11:22 AM

9 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

241,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ras al-Khaimah 13,690 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ras al-Khaimah

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 Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ras al-Khaimah is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $2,760 in Ras al-Khaimah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, 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 $40.00 in Ras al-Khaimah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $1,840 in Ras al-Khaimah. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Ras al-Khaimah at $1,840. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ras al-Khaimah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ras al-Khaimah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.