Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shaab

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaab: $1,386 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
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Shaab Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shaab

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,386 in Shaab, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Shaab $1,386

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,294 in Shaab, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Shaab $2,294

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,201 in Shaab, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Shaab $3,201

Medellin costs about 18% more than Shaab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Shaab sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Shaab by 2%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.70 KWD 3.91

-36.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$63.2 KWD 19.47

-25.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.88 KWD 2.74

6.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 KWD 1.53

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$5.21 KWD 1.61

-42.23%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.70 KWD 0.22

157.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.29 KWD 0.09

386.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.58 KWD 0.49

-4.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.46 KWD 0.45

63.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.98 KWD 0.61

-10.61%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.07 KWD 0.64

39.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$4.42 KWD 1.36

130.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.74 KWD 2.08

46.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.17 KWD 3.13

37.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.52 KWD 0.78

57.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.92 KWD 0.59

-19.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.87 KWD 0.58

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.48 KWD 0.46

47.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.32 KWD 0.41

48.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.49 KWD 0.46

6.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.30 KWD 0.71

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.57 KWD 0.18

117.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$2.69 KWD 0.83

47.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.81 KWD 0.25

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$4.87 KWD 1.50

-73.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$3.30 KWD 1.02

-37.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$15.86 KWD 4.89

-46.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.35 KWD 0.11

285.71%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$23.6K KWD 7,262

44.54%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$19.5K KWD 6,015

77.59%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$66.5 KWD 20.47

155.30%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$22.82 KWD 7.03

-40.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$29.54 KWD 9.10

-4.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$102 KWD 31.37

-57.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.90 KWD 3.97

-46.43%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$503 KWD 155

58.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$9,302 KWD 2,866

-2.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$37.18 KWD 11.46

127.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$39.66 KWD 12.22

46.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$97.4 KWD 30.01

38.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$87.5 KWD 26.94

11.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$796 KWD 245

51.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$617 KWD 190

4.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,694 KWD 522

19.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,320 KWD 407

-23.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,175 KWD 978

-79.30%

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 Shaab: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Shaab

$617 44.5% 3.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Shaab

$186 13.4% 37.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Shaab

$119 8.6% 43.8% $92

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Shaab

$195 14.1% 14.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Shaab

$118 8.5% 30.3% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Shaab

$25 * 1.8% 73.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Shaab

$128 9.2% 122% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $796 in Shaab. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Shaab are about 4.8 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 $63 in Shaab. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $186 in Shaab – so Shaab wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇰🇼 Shaab

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

02:12 2:12 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

164,212

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Shaab 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shaab

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 Shaab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 18%, 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 $2,080 in Shaab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaab, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $796 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $63 in Shaab. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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