Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and The Pearl-Qatar

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,692 a month against $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in The Pearl-Qatar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in The Pearl-Qatar
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The Pearl-Qatar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

The Pearl-Qatar

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in The Pearl-Qatar

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 The Pearl-Qatar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
The Pearl-Qatar $2,635

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $3,938 in The Pearl-Qatar, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
The Pearl-Qatar $3,938

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $5,241 in The Pearl-Qatar, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
The Pearl-Qatar $5,241

Medellin is about 36% cheaper than The Pearl-Qatar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Medellin and The Pearl-Qatar sit above the global median – Medellin by 25%, The Pearl-Qatar by 95%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$9.54 QAR 34.72

-12.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$71.1 QAR 259

-34.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$8.00 QAR 29.14

18.38%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.03 QAR 43.78

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.45 QAR 48.95

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$5.35 QAR 19.48

-41.50%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.96 QAR 3.49

84.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.43 QAR 1.56

230.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.55 QAR 5.64

-1.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.44 QAR 5.26

59.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.80 QAR 6.55

7.78%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.54 QAR 9.26

20.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.71 QAR 24.41

48.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$8.00 QAR 29.10

30.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$11.61 QAR 42.25

20.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.31 QAR 8.41

75.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.82 QAR 6.62

-15.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.61 QAR 5.86

30.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.19 QAR 4.34

92.44%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.92 QAR 3.36

129.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.93 QAR 3.37

83.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.38 QAR 5.01

-15.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.51 QAR 1.85

209.80%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.37 QAR 34.09

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 QAR 7.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 QAR 8.05

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$6.43 QAR 23.39

-39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.57 QAR 2.07

107.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$31.04 QAR 113

145.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.90 QAR 6.92

-4.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.53 QAR 1.92

301.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$9.45 QAR 34.41

-13.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.57 QAR 2.09

124.56%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$15.7K QAR 57.0K

119.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$15.0K QAR 54.5K

127.91%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$91.8 QAR 334

93.71%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$31.01 QAR 113

-55.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$74.9 QAR 272

-58.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$174 QAR 634

-75.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$36.54 QAR 133

-54.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$11.52 QAR 41.93

-35.16%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$733 QAR 2,667

7.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$10.4K QAR 37.8K

18.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$59.0 QAR 215

46.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$49.90 QAR 182

18.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$79.7 QAR 290

73.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$84.8 QAR 309

16.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$2,198 QAR 8,002

-39.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$1,716 QAR 6,245

-61.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$4,365 QAR 15.9K

-54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$3,055 QAR 11.1K

-66.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$7,453 QAR 27.1K

-45.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$5,398 QAR 19.6K

-64.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$7,386 QAR 26.9K

-91.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.29

155.01%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for The Pearl-Qatar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

The Pearl-Qatar

$1.7K 65.1% 157% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

The Pearl-Qatar

$193 7.3% 37.1% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

The Pearl-Qatar

$198 7.5% 11.1% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

The Pearl-Qatar

$170 6.5% 1.5% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

The Pearl-Qatar

$123 4.7% 28.6% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

The Pearl-Qatar

$38 1.4% 59.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

The Pearl-Qatar

$197 7.5% 247% $140

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $2,198 in The Pearl-Qatar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in The Pearl-Qatar are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $71 in The Pearl-Qatar. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $193 in The Pearl-Qatar – so The Pearl-Qatar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇶🇦 The Pearl-Qatar

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

08:46 8:46 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin The Pearl-Qatar 13,310 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
The Pearl-Qatar

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 The Pearl-Qatar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – The Pearl-Qatar is pricier by about 56%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $3,952 in The Pearl-Qatar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,341 there versus $2,198 in The Pearl-Qatar.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $71 in The Pearl-Qatar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar. That makes Medellin about 36% cheaper.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,692, than in The Pearl-Qatar at $2,635. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Pearl-Qatar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,692 in Medellin to $2,635 in The Pearl-Qatar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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