Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sabah Al Salem

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabah Al Salem: $1,418 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Medellin outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Sabah Al Salem
Learn more

Sabah Al Salem Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sabah Al Salem

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sabah Al Salem

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 Sabah Al Salem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sabah Al Salem $1,418

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,468 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sabah Al Salem $2,468

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,518 in Sabah Al Salem, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sabah Al Salem $3,518

Medellin costs about 16% more than Sabah Al Salem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Sabah Al Salem sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sabah Al Salem by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.81 KWD 2.41

3.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$71.2 KWD 21.93

-33.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.38 KWD 2.89

1.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.01

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 KWD 0.97

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$6.61 KWD 2.04

-54.46%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.47 KWD 0.14

282.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.46 KWD 0.14

206.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.86 KWD 0.57

-18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.25 KWD 0.39

90.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.05 KWD 0.63

-13.66%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.16 KWD 0.97

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.12 KWD 2.19

43.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.41 KWD 1.67

82.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$10.01 KWD 3.09

39.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.44 KWD 0.75

62.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.94 KWD 0.60

-20.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.26 KWD 0.39

73.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.47 KWD 0.45

48.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.36 KWD 0.42

44.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$0.91 KWD 0.28

74.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.65 KWD 0.51

-30.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.49 KWD 0.15

153.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.08 KWD 0.95

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 KWD 0.35

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 KWD 0.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.68 KWD 0.83

47.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.92 KWD 0.28

27.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$112 KWD 34.63

-31.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$3.60 KWD 1.11

-64.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$3.20 KWD 0.99

-35.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$13.80 KWD 4.25

-38.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.33 KWD 0.10

309.09%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$25.2K KWD 7,765

35.21%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$21.5K KWD 6,630

61.16%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$38.66 KWD 11.92

338.83%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$23.88 KWD 7.36

-43.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$38.49 KWD 11.86

-27.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$131 KWD 40.32

-66.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$38.26 KWD 11.79

-55.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.06 KWD 3.41

-37.52%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$281 KWD 86.6

183.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,550 KWD 2,327

20.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$37.23 KWD 11.47

127.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$39.57 KWD 12.19

46.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$98.9 KWD 30.48

36.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$89.8 KWD 27.66

9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$814 KWD 251

48.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$550 KWD 170

16.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,741 KWD 537

16.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,351 KWD 416

-25.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$2,957 KWD 911

-77.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.53

67.53%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sabah Al Salem: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sabah Al Salem

$550 38.8% 14.3% $92

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sabah Al Salem

$185 13.1% 37.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sabah Al Salem

$101 7.1% 52.2% $110

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sabah Al Salem

$174 12.3% 2.4% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sabah Al Salem

$119 8.4% 29.3% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sabah Al Salem

$136 9.6% 45% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sabah Al Salem

$153 10.8% 166% $95

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $814 in Sabah Al Salem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sabah Al Salem are about 4.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $71 in Sabah Al Salem. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $185 in Sabah Al Salem – so Sabah Al Salem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Sabah Al Salem

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

04:10 4:10 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

92,818

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sabah Al Salem 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sabah Al Salem

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 Sabah Al Salem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,127 in Sabah Al Salem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sabah Al Salem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $814 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $71 in Sabah Al Salem. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,418 in Sabah Al Salem. That makes Sabah Al Salem about 14% cheaper.

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