Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Unaizah

For one person, living is cheaper in Unaizah: $1,221 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Unaizah
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Unaizah Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Unaizah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,221

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Unaizah

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,221 in Unaizah, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Unaizah $1,221

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,813 in Unaizah, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Unaizah $1,813

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,405 in Unaizah, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Unaizah $2,405

Medellin costs about 39% more than Unaizah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Unaizah is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$6.68 SAR 25.07

24.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$40.07 SAR 150

16.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.05 SAR 26.48

34.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 SAR 7.19

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.88

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$4.40 SAR 16.52

-28.86%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.73 SAR 2.73

142.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.28 SAR 1.06

407.14%

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 4,950

$1.64 SAR 6.17

-6.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$0.44 SAR 1.67

420.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$2.27 SAR 8.51

-14.54%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$4.76 SAR 17.87

-35.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$4.55 SAR 17.09

119.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.66 SAR 17.50

124.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$12.69 SAR 47.64

10.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.82 SAR 6.83

122.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.98 SAR 7.44

-22.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$1.82 SAR 6.85

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$2.00 SAR 7.51

14.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-34.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.28 SAR 4.81

-8.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.64 SAR 2.40

146.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.82 SAR 10.60

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SAR 7.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 SAR 8.09

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.74 SAR 25.29

-41.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.95 SAR 3.56

24.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$40.56 SAR 152

88.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-30.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$1.57 SAR 5.88

35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$16.03 SAR 60.2

-49.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.55 SAR 2.08

132.73%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$27.6K SAR 103.5K

24.84%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$21.7K SAR 81.6K

56.96%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$103 SAR 386

72.94%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$32.41 SAR 122

-57.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$67.2 SAR 252

-54.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$54.1 SAR 203

-22.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$13.23 SAR 49.64

-43.54%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$471 SAR 1,767

67.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$9,262 SAR 34.8K

32.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$45.34 SAR 170

90.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$53.0 SAR 199

11.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$100 SAR 377

37.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$80.4 SAR 302

22.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$588 SAR 2,207

128.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$440 SAR 1,651

51.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$760 SAR 2,853

159.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$684 SAR 2,567

51.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,056 SAR 7,716

99.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,255 SAR 4,711

54.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$2,550 SAR 9,570

-74.66%

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 Unaizah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Unaizah

$440 36% 34% $227

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Unaizah

$187 15.3% 39.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Unaizah

$202 16.6% 9% $20

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Unaizah

$131 10.8% 23.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Unaizah

$126 10.3% 27.1% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Unaizah

$55 4.5% 41.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Unaizah

$81 6.6% 41.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $588 in Unaizah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Unaizah are about 3.9 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 Unaizah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $187 – making Unaizah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Unaizah

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

18:22 6:22 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

163,729

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Unaizah 12,580 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Unaizah

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 Unaizah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 39%, 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 $1,832 in Unaizah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Unaizah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $588 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $40 in Unaizah. 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 $1,221 in Unaizah. That makes Unaizah about 28% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,221 in Unaizah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Unaizah is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 28% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.