Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Saar

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,625 a month against $1,973 in Saar, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Saar

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,973

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Saar

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $1,973 in Saar, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Saar $1,973

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $2,761 in Saar, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Saar $2,761

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $3,549 in Saar, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Saar $3,549

Medellin is about 18% cheaper than Saar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Medellin and Saar sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Saar by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$10.72 BHD 4.05

-22.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$33.26 BHD 12.55

41.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$10.54 BHD 3.98

-12.33%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$5.74 BHD 2.17

-46.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.63 BHD 0.62

10.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.00 BHD 0.38

38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$6.05 BHD 2.28

-46.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$9.54 BHD 3.60

-41.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.73 BHD 0.65

-13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.30 BHD 0.49

82.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$2.68 BHD 1.01

-36.57%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.72 BHD 1.03

8.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.28 BHD 5.01

-23.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$6.69 BHD 2.52

45.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$15.98 BHD 6.03

-13.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$3.86 BHD 1.46

6.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$2.41 BHD 0.91

-36.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$3.62 BHD 1.37

-38.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.95 BHD 0.73

16.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.67 BHD 0.25

197.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.62 BHD 0.61

3.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.80 BHD 0.30

55.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$26.02 BHD 9.82

-47.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.80 BHD 0.30

55.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$5.27 BHD 1.99

-75.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.61 BHD 0.23

121.31%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$130 BHD 49.12

28.04%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$32.23 BHD 12.16

-9.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$157 BHD 59.4

-71.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$105 BHD 39.56

-83.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$15.57 BHD 5.88

-55.23%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$554 BHD 209

42.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,839 BHD 2,958

15.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$91.1 BHD 34.40

-3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$39.39 BHD 14.87

47.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$104 BHD 39.32

33.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$105 BHD 39.45

-5.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$1,345 BHD 508

-23.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$917 BHD 346

-32.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$2,141 BHD 808

-12.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$1,210 BHD 457

-16.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$2,111 BHD 797

-19.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$2,423 BHD 915

-72.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Saar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Saar

–

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Saar

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Saar

–

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Saar

–

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Saar

–

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Saar

–

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Saar

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $1,345 in Saar. 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 265% higher in Saar, 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 $33.00 in Saar. Groceries tell a different story – $298 in Medellin vs $298 in Saar – so Medellin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇭 Saar

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

04:31 4:31 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

6,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Saar 13,180 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Saar

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 Saar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Saar is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $2,960 in Saar. 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 $33.00 in Saar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Saar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,625, than in Saar at $1,973. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saar 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, Saar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.