Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Umluj

For one person, living is cheaper in Umluj: $1,230 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Umluj
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Umluj Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Umluj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Umluj

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,230 in Umluj, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Umluj $1,230

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,824 in Umluj, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Umluj $1,824

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,418 in Umluj, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Umluj $2,418

Medellin costs about 38% more than Umluj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Umluj is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$6.59 SAR 24.75

26.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$39.59 SAR 149

17.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$8.45 SAR 31.71

12.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 SAR 9.55

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.45 SAR 12.96

-9.28%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.83 SAR 3.12

113.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.27 SAR 1.03

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.92 SAR 7.21

-20.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.12 SAR 4.21

104.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$2.03 SAR 7.60

-4.43%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$2.48 SAR 9.30

23.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$6.36 SAR 23.88

57.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$8.73 SAR 32.76

19.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$14.21 SAR 53.3

-1.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.30 SAR 8.62

76.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.96 SAR 7.35

-21.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.37 SAR 5.16

53.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.40 SAR 5.26

63.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.08 SAR 4.04

95.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$1.27 SAR 4.78

34.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.41 SAR 5.28

-17.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.48 SAR 1.82

229.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.56 SAR 9.61

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 SAR 7.40

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.89 SAR 22.10

-33.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$1.19 SAR 4.48

-0.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$39.20 SAR 147

94.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$2.96 SAR 11.11

-38.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$1.57 SAR 5.90

35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$15.82 SAR 59.4

-48.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$0.53 SAR 1.99

141.51%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$33.3K SAR 125.1K

3.37%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$21.3K SAR 79.8K

60.52%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$95.4 SAR 358

86.40%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$35.71 SAR 134

-61.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$69.3 SAR 260

-55.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$80.5 SAR 302

-47.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$13.83 SAR 51.9

-45.99%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$378 SAR 1,420

108.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$11.6K SAR 43.4K

6.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$43.21 SAR 162

99.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$62.5 SAR 234

-5.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$92.6 SAR 348

49.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$87.8 SAR 330

12.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$558 SAR 2,093

140.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$407 SAR 1,528

63.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$875 SAR 3,286

125.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$611 SAR 2,292

69.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,201 SAR 8,261

86.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,179 SAR 4,427

64.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$4,181 SAR 15.7K

-84.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.54

97.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Umluj: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Umluj

$407 33.1% 39% $260

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Umluj

$207 16.8% 32.7% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Umluj

$200 16.3% 9.9% $22

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Umluj

$124 10.1% 28.2% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Umluj

$129 10.5% 25.2% $43

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Umluj

$55 4.5% 41.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Umluj

$108 8.8% 90.2% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $558 in Umluj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Umluj are about 6.5 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 $40 in Umluj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $207 – making Umluj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Umluj

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

06:58 6:58 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

37,757

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Umluj 11,970 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Umluj

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 Umluj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,845 in Umluj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Umluj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $558 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Umluj. 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 $1,230 in Umluj. That makes Umluj about 27% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,230 in Umluj, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Umluj is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 27% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.