Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sanad

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanad: $1,285 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Sanad
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Sanad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Sanad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sanad

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,285 in Sanad, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Sanad $1,285

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,988 in Sanad, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Sanad $1,988

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,690 in Sanad, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Sanad $2,690

Medellin costs about 32% more than Sanad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Sanad is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$5.24 BHD 1.97

59.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$53.4 BHD 20.14

-12.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.34 BHD 2.77

29.02%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.79 BHD 1.81

-34.66%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.84 BHD 0.32

110.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.30 BHD 0.11

373.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$6.49 BHD 2.45

-51.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$9.78 BHD 3.69

-41.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.45 BHD 0.55

5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.10 BHD 0.42

108.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.33 BHD 0.88

-16.74%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.25 BHD 0.85

36.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$8.61 BHD 3.25

16.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.51 BHD 2.45

60.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$8.78 BHD 3.31

59.00%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.41 BHD 0.91

68.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$2.22 BHD 0.84

-31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.93 BHD 0.73

8.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.39 BHD 0.52

64.75%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.01 BHD 0.38

108.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.35 BHD 0.51

26.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.54 BHD 0.58

-24.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.82 BHD 0.31

92.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.27 BHD 1.99

-25.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$18.39 BHD 6.94

-23.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$3.67 BHD 1.39

-52.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$2.59 BHD 0.98

4.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$5.25 BHD 1.98

-65.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$3.35 BHD 1.26

-36.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$15.68 BHD 5.91

-48.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.69 BHD 0.26

85.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$26.1K BHD 9,831

32.10%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$19.4K BHD 7,317

75.92%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$150 BHD 56.7

18.13%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$15.60 BHD 5.88

-10.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$34.62 BHD 13.05

-11.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$79.6 BHD 30.00

-47.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$10.57 BHD 3.99

-29.33%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$615 BHD 232

28.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.9K BHD 4,098

13.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$51.2 BHD 19.29

68.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$58.7 BHD 22.12

1.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$87.9 BHD 33.13

57.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$88.7 BHD 33.46

11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$650 BHD 245

106.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$404 BHD 152

65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$1,322 BHD 499

49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$783 BHD 295

31.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,178 BHD 444

-45.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.21

76.17%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sanad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Sanad

$404 31.5% 39.4% $263

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Sanad

$251 19.5% 18.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Sanad

$201 15.6% 9.8% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Sanad

$178 13.9% 3.1% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Sanad

$129 10% 25.2% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sanad

$22 * 1.7% 76.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Sanad

$101 7.8% 77% $44

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $650 in Sanad. 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 82% higher in Sanad, 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 $53 in Sanad. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $251 in Sanad – so Sanad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇭 Sanad

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

05:35 5:35 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,626 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sanad 13,190 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sanad

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 Sanad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 32%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,928 in Sanad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $650 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $53 in Sanad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,285 in Sanad. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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