Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Yanbu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,021 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Yanbu
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Yanbu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Yanbu

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Yanbu

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,021 in Yanbu, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Yanbu $1,021

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,620 in Yanbu, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Yanbu $1,620

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,220 in Yanbu, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Yanbu $2,220

Medellin costs about 61% more than Yanbu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Yanbu is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.99 SAR 22.48

35.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$38.12 SAR 143

23.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$6.67 SAR 25.03

42.43%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$3.90 SAR 14.65

-22.82%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.82 SAR 3.07

119.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.18 SAR 0.68

683.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.71 SAR 6.40

-11.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.94 SAR 3.52

153.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$2.20 SAR 8.26

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.53 SAR 9.49

14.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.33 SAR 23.76

60.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$8.43 SAR 31.64

17.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.00 SAR 48.78

7.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.12 SAR 7.97

87.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.71 SAR 6.41

-9.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.46 SAR 5.46

49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.62 SAR 6.06

34.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.17 SAR 4.39

67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.04 SAR 3.91

52.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.10 SAR 4.13

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.54 SAR 2.03

129.63%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SAR 5.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$6.48 SAR 24.32

-38.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$1.06 SAR 3.97

10.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$37.43 SAR 140

106.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$3.15 SAR 11.82

-59.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.78 SAR 2.94

162.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$13.66 SAR 51.3

-37.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.62 SAR 2.32

117.74%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$37.9K SAR 142.4K

-10.19%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

57.70%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$91.4 SAR 343

85.53%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$22.38 SAR 84.0

-39.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$67.0 SAR 251

-58.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$95.6 SAR 359

-54.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$26.53 SAR 99.6

-35.21%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$11.78 SAR 44.21

-41.34%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$263 SAR 987

203.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$3,844 SAR 14.4K

137.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$74.3 SAR 279

13.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$57.7 SAR 217

0.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$99.2 SAR 372

36.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$93.5 SAR 351

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$315 SAR 1,181

283.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$211 SAR 790

204.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$610 SAR 2,288

232.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$414 SAR 1,552

144.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,702 SAR 6,387

145.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,237 SAR 4,644

54.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,411 SAR 12.8K

-80.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

5.39

102.97%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yanbu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Yanbu

$210 20.6% 67.2% $431

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Yanbu

$197 19.3% 33.8% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Yanbu

$181 17.7% 14.4% $30

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Yanbu

$119 11.6% 30% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Yanbu

$146 14.3% 13.5% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Yanbu

$49 4.8% 47.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Yanbu

$119 11.7% 107% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $315 in Yanbu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yanbu are about 5.2 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 $38 in Yanbu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $197 – making Yanbu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇦 Yanbu

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

06:59 6:59 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

233,236

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Yanbu 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Yanbu

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 Yanbu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,531 in Yanbu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yanbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $38 in Yanbu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,021 in Yanbu. That makes Yanbu about 38% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,021 in Yanbu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Yanbu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 38% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.