Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shibin Al Kawm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm: $458 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.

Medellin, Colombia
Shibin Al Kawm, Egypt
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,625
/mo nomad
Shibin Al Kawm
🇪🇬 Egypt
$458
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $458 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,625
  • Shibin Al Kawm $458

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $730 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,412
  • Shibin Al Kawm $730

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,003 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,199
  • Shibin Al Kawm $1,003

Medellin costs about 255% more than Shibin Al Kawm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.30 COP 26.1K
$4.16 E£232
99.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.91 COP 147.5K
$11.51 E£642
307.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.24 COP 29.1K
$4.78 E£267
93.31%
Cappuccino
$3.05 COP 9,596
$1.32 E£73.4
131.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,659
$0.27 E£14.84
566.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,345
$0.11 E£6.20
1154.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.24 COP 10.2K
$1.31 E£72.8
147.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 COP 17.5K
$2.93 E£163
89.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 COP 4,720
$0.80 E£44.51
87.50%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 COP 7,445
$0.72 E£39.90
229.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.70 COP 5,332
$0.59 E£33.14
188.14%
Eggs
$2.96 COP 9,301
$1.19 E£66.6
148.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 COP 32.1K
$3.91 E£218
161.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.74 COP 30.6K
$4.39 E£245
121.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.90 COP 43.7K
$9.38 E£523
48.19%
Apples (1kg)
$4.13 COP 13.0K
$1.54 E£86.0
168.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,799
$0.74 E£41.10
106.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 COP 6,993
$0.55 E£30.72
303.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.27 COP 7,135
$0.33 E£18.35
587.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 COP 6,258
$0.24 E£13.38
729.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.67 COP 5,241
$0.32 E£17.95
421.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 COP 3,711
$0.27 E£15.09
337.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,886
$0.20 E£11.37
520.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.87 COP 12.2K
$1.94 E£108
99.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.78 COP 43.3K
$5.62 E£313
145.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,212
$1.25 E£69.9
32.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 COP 7,552
$2.23 E£124
7.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.18 E£10.26
588.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.2 COP 245.9K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.28 COP 4,011
$0.56 E£31.03
128.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 COP 6,747
$0.17 E£9.38
1164.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.37 COP 26.3K
$1.15 E£64.1
627.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,252
$0.43 E£24.08
213.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K COP 109.3M
$31.7K E£1.8M
9.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$26.6K E£1.5M
30.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$167 COP 524.0K
$14.50 E£808
1049.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.62 COP 42.8K
$6.85 E£382
98.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.12 COP 91.6K
$13.24 E£738
119.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.09 COP 141.8K
$15.90 E£887
183.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.18 COP 54.0K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.97 COP 21.9K
$2.92 E£163
138.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$85.1 E£4,744
828.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,041 COP 28.4M
$2,145 E£119.6K
321.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.8 COP 276.1K
$33.51 E£1,869
162.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.2 COP 182.8K
$45.24 E£2,523
28.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$139 COP 437.0K
$129 E£7,209
7.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.9 COP 310.9K
$57.1 E£3,185
73.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 COP 3.2M
$133 E£7,417
673.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 COP 1.9M
$75.6 E£4,214
719.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,881 COP 5.9M
$249 E£13.9K
653.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 COP 3.2M
$142 E£7,927
608.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,988 COP 12.5M
$765 E£42.7K
421.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,702 COP 5.4M
$345 E£19.2K
393.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$663 COP 2.1M
-
-
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 Shibin Al Kawm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$619
Shibin Al Kawm
$76 87.8% $544
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$298
Shibin Al Kawm
$127 57.4% $171
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$209
Shibin Al Kawm
$35 83.5% $175
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$173
Shibin Al Kawm
$119 30.9% $53
Eating Out
Medellin
$171
Shibin Al Kawm
$77 54.7% $93
Getting Around
Medellin
$95
Shibin Al Kawm
$2.1 * 97.8% $93
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$59
Shibin Al Kawm
$22 63.2% $37

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 $133 in Shibin Al Kawm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $12 in Shibin Al Kawm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $127 – making Shibin Al Kawm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇪🇬 Shibin Al Kawm
🕒 Local time
01:56 1:56 AM
09:56 9:56 AM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
184,097
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3,144 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Shibin Al Kawm 11,220 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shibin Al Kawm cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 255%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $686 in Shibin Al Kawm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $1,028 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Shibin Al Kawm?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $12 in Shibin Al Kawm. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Shibin Al Kawm?
Groceries cost about 135% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $800 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Shibin Al Kawm?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Shibin Al Kawm, where all-in costs run around $458, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Shibin Al Kawm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Shibin Al Kawm more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Shibin Al Kawm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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