Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sheikh Zayed

For one person, living is cheaper in Sheikh Zayed: $462 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Sheikh Zayed
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Sheikh Zayed Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Sheikh Zayed

🇪🇬 Egypt

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sheikh Zayed

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $462 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Sheikh Zayed $462

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $780 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Sheikh Zayed $780

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,099 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Sheikh Zayed $1,099

Medellin costs about 252% more than Sheikh Zayed, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sheikh Zayed is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.68 E£196

125.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$18.59 E£993

152.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$4.07 E£217

127.03%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.26 E£67.3

142.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.30 E£15.83

500.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.12 E£6.15

1050.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.28 E£68.3

153.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.70 E£144

105.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.80 E£42.81

87.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.70 E£37.32

238.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.54 E£28.89

214.81%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.16 E£62.1

155.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$3.76 E£201

171.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.30 E£230

126.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$9.01 E£481

54.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.48 E£78.8

179.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.78 E£41.42

96.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$0.55 E£29.19

303.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.34 E£18.25

567.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.26 E£13.91

665.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.32 E£17.28

421.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.27 E£14.56

337.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.20 E£10.60

520.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.57 E£84.0

146.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.48 E£292

151.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$0.91 E£48.49

82.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.26 E£121

6.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.27 E£14.24

359.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.50 E£26.60

156.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.53 E£28.40

305.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$1.11 E£59.5

654.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.41 E£21.73

229.27%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$29.3K E£1.6M

18.83%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$24.8K E£1.3M

39.70%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$13.92 E£743

1097.20%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$6.80 E£363

100.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$12.79 E£683

127.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$37.41 E£1,998

20.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$9.25 E£494

85.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$2.77 E£148

151.62%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$84.4 E£4,505

836.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$2,064 E£110.2K

337.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$32.64 E£1,743

169.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$44.08 E£2,354

31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$123 E£6,545

13.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$52.0 E£2,775

90.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$184 E£9,848

457.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$75.3 E£4,022

722.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$488 E£26.1K

285.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$184 E£9,843

446.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,033 E£55.1K

286.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$552 E£29.5K

208.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$130 E£6,959

409.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

21.33

-48.71%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sheikh Zayed: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Sheikh Zayed

$75 16.3% 87.8% $544

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Sheikh Zayed

$122 26.5% 58.9% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Sheikh Zayed

$34 7.3% 84% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Sheikh Zayed

$113 24.5% 34.5% $60

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Sheikh Zayed

$70 15.2% 58.9% $101

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Sheikh Zayed

$4.2 * 0.9% 95.6% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Sheikh Zayed

$43 9.3% 27.3% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $184 in Sheikh Zayed. 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 409% higher in Medellin, 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 $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $122 – making Sheikh Zayed the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇪🇬 Sheikh Zayed

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

80,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sheikh Zayed 11,230 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sheikh Zayed

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 Sheikh Zayed: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 252%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $693 in Sheikh Zayed. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sheikh Zayed, 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 $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 143% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sheikh Zayed, where all-in costs run around $462, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sheikh Zayed it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sheikh Zayed – 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 Sheikh Zayed. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.