Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Riyadh

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $1,768 in Riyadh, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Riyadh
Learn more

Riyadh Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Riyadh

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Riyadh

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,768 in Riyadh, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Riyadh $1,768

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $2,557 in Riyadh, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Riyadh $2,557

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $3,345 in Riyadh, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Riyadh $3,345

Medellin is about 10% cheaper than Riyadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Medellin and Riyadh sit above the global median – Medellin by 19%, Riyadh by 32%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$8.09 SAR 30.36

-0.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$66.5 SAR 250

-29.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$8.11 SAR 30.47

16.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 SAR 8.09

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 SAR 11.19

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$4.34 SAR 16.31

-32.95%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$0.86 SAR 3.24

103.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.30 SAR 1.12

340.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.77 SAR 6.63

-20.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.32 SAR 4.97

84.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$2.40 SAR 9.03

-32.08%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.06 SAR 11.48

-7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$10.63 SAR 39.91

-8.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$9.60 SAR 36.05

-2.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$14.98 SAR 56.3

-10.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$2.80 SAR 10.51

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.98 SAR 7.45

-25.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$2.51 SAR 9.43

-15.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$1.80 SAR 6.75

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.18 SAR 4.45

61.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.34 SAR 5.01

20.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$1.79 SAR 6.70

-35.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.54 SAR 2.03

133.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.11 SAR 30.44

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.04

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$7.53 SAR 28.26

-49.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$1.05 SAR 3.96

11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$37.18 SAR 140

101.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$3.29 SAR 12.35

-61.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$1.91 SAR 7.19

7.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$13.43 SAR 50.5

-38.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.65 SAR 2.42

95.38%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$34.6K SAR 130.0K

-22.68%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$22.8K SAR 85.7K

50.66%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$106 SAR 397

53.52%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$29.10 SAR 109

-54.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$72.7 SAR 273

-61.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$91.4 SAR 343

-51.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$56.4 SAR 212

-71.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$13.20 SAR 49.58

-53.86%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$532 SAR 1,999

43.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$10.2K SAR 38.4K

-12.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$57.4 SAR 215

48.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$54.4 SAR 204

5.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$105 SAR 393

26.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$106 SAR 397

-9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,211 SAR 4,547

-15.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$834 SAR 3,132

-27.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$2,223 SAR 8,346

-18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$1,241 SAR 4,658

-19.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$3,011 SAR 11.3K

30.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,937 SAR 7,274

-15.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$2,037 SAR 7,648

-69.26%

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: October 6, 2026

Last update for Riyadh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Riyadh

$834 47.7% 38% $230

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Riyadh

$242 13.9% 16% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Riyadh

$208 11.9% 2% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Riyadh

$145 8.3% 12.9% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Riyadh

$146 8.4% 12.4% $21

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Riyadh

$54 3.1% 40.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Riyadh

$118 6.8% 109% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,211 in Riyadh. 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 225% higher in Riyadh, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $66.0 in Riyadh. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Medellin vs $242 in Riyadh – so Riyadh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Riyadh

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

09:42 9:42 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

5,188,286 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Riyadh 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Riyadh

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 Riyadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Riyadh is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $2,652 in Riyadh. 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 $47.00 in Medellin and $66.0 in Riyadh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $1,768 in Riyadh. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Riyadh at $1,768. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riyadh 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, Riyadh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.