Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Umm Salal 'ali

For one person, living is cheaper in Umm Salal ’ali: $790 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Umm Salal 'ali, Qatar
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Umm Salal 'ali
🇶🇦 Qatar
$790
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Umm Salal 'ali

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 Umm Salal 'ali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $790 in Umm Salal ’ali, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Umm Salal 'ali $790

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,348 in Umm Salal ’ali, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Umm Salal 'ali $1,348

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,906 in Umm Salal ’ali, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Umm Salal 'ali $1,906

Medellin costs about 114% more than Umm Salal ’ali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Umm Salal ’ali is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$11.15 QAR 40.59
-25.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$73.2 QAR 266
-36.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$8.37 QAR 30.48
13.14%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$12.34 QAR 44.91
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$13.65 QAR 49.69
-
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$5.94 QAR 21.62
-47.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,704
$1.01 QAR 3.67
75.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,600
$0.46 QAR 1.69
208.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,949
$2.08 QAR 7.59
-26.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,399
$1.43 QAR 5.21
60.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,281
$1.85 QAR 6.72
4.86%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,902
$3.42 QAR 12.45
-10.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$11.17 QAR 40.66
-10.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$8.44 QAR 30.71
23.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$11.57 QAR 42.11
20.66%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$2.25 QAR 8.20
80.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,936
$1.83 QAR 6.66
-16.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,795
$1.61 QAR 5.88
30.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,407
$1.25 QAR 4.56
83.20%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,812
$1.00 QAR 3.63
111.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,519
$1.01 QAR 3.68
69.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,779
$1.39 QAR 5.07
-15.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,102
$0.51 QAR 1.85
209.80%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$9.55 QAR 34.77
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.89 QAR 6.89
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.29 QAR 8.35
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$6.74 QAR 24.52
-41.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,689
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,758
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,810
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,835
$1.96 QAR 7.13
-7.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,876
$1.97 QAR 7.18
8.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$13.87 QAR 50.5
-41.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,118
$0.58 QAR 2.12
120.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$24.1K QAR 87.8K
42.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.2M
$21.6K QAR 78.7K
57.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.9K
$91.0 QAR 331
95.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$34.21 QAR 125
-59.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$86.8 QAR 316
-64.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.4K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$12.16 QAR 44.28
-38.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$737 QAR 2,683
7.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$16.8K QAR 61.1K
-26.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.8K
$61.6 QAR 224
40.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$48.39 QAR 176
22.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.7K
$99.4 QAR 362
39.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.1K
$83.9 QAR 305
17.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Umm Salal 'ali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
5.92
84.80%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Umm Salal 'ali: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Umm Salal 'ali
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Umm Salal 'ali
$218 29% $89
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Umm Salal 'ali
$212 4.7% $10
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Umm Salal 'ali
$191 10.9% $19
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Umm Salal 'ali
$132 23.4% $40
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Umm Salal 'ali
$12 * 87.4% $82
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Umm Salal 'ali
$24 * 57.2% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $73 in Umm Salal ’ali. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $218 in Umm Salal ’ali – so Umm Salal ’ali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇶🇦 Umm Salal 'ali
🕒 Local time
15:13 3:13 PM
23:13 11:13 PM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
33,909
💱 Currency
Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق
Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,609 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.07 QAR (1 QAR = 0.246 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Umm Salal 'ali 13,290 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Umm Salal 'ali

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 Umm Salal 'ali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Umm Salal ’ali cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 114%, 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,185 in Umm Salal ’ali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Umm Salal ’ali?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $73 in Umm Salal ’ali. 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 Umm Salal ’ali?
Groceries cost about 41% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Umm Salal ’ali?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Umm Salal ’ali, where all-in costs run around $790, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Umm Salal ’ali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Umm Salal ’ali?
It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $790 in Umm Salal ’ali to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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