Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,023 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sanaa

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,023 in Sanaa, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sanaa $1,023

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,619 in Sanaa, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sanaa $1,619

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,216 in Sanaa, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sanaa $2,216

Medellin costs about 60% more than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sanaa is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.45 YER 1,520

25.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$25.52 YER 6,020

84.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$9.76 YER 2,301

-2.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 YER 460

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 YER 616

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.79 YER 895

-20.58%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.18 YER 278

52.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.59 YER 140

138.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$2.06 YER 487

-26.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.64 YER 386

45.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.01 YER 475

-11.94%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$3.76 YER 886

-23.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$17.06 YER 4,023

-40.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.44 YER 1,990

16.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$19.00 YER 4,482

-26.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.27 YER 771

21.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.01 YER 238

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.16 YER 509

0.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.73 YER 408

26.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.51 YER 357

29.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.33 YER 314

19.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.20 YER 284

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.64 YER 152

93.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.55 YER 602

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 YER 425

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 YER 615

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.54 YER 1,306

-28.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.41 YER 95.6

185.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$84.8 YER 20.0K

-8.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$4.21 YER 992

-69.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$2.16 YER 510

-5.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.21 YER 1,701

18.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$2.12 YER 500

-36.32%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$16.7K YER 3.9M

104.32%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$34.4K YER 8.1M

0.66%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$109 YER 25.6K

56.20%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$23.21 YER 5,475

-41.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$100 YER 23.7K

-72.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$66.2 YER 15.6K

-33.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.55 YER 3,904

3.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.02 YER 1,420

14.78%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$117 YER 27.5K

583.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$2,184 YER 515.0K

317.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$41.59 YER 9,810

103.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$123 YER 28.9K

-52.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$48.01 YER 11.3K

181.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$41.10 YER 9,694

138.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$219 YER 51.7K

450.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$93.7 YER 22.1K

584.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$413 YER 97.3K

391.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$274 YER 64.6K

269.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$4,087 YER 963.9K

2.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$795 YER 187.5K

140.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$190 YER 44.8K

246.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.25

-2.76%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sanaa

$94 9.2% 85.4% $548

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sanaa

$270 26.4% 9.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sanaa

$232 22.7% 9.9% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sanaa

$133 13.1% 21.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sanaa

$114 11.1% 32.6% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sanaa

$101 9.9% 8.5% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sanaa

$78 7.7% 36% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $219 in Sanaa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $26 in Sanaa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $270 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sanaa 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,534 in Sanaa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $26 in Sanaa. 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 $1,023 in Sanaa. That makes Sanaa about 38% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,023 in Sanaa. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sanaa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.