Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medina and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medina: $1,364 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
Learn more

Medina Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medina and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medina and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,364 per month in Medina vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Medina $1,364
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $1,816 per month in Medina vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Medina $1,816
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $2,268 per month in Medina vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Medina $2,268
Medellin $3,139

Medina is about 14% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medina and Medellin sit above the global median – Medina by 2%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.53 SAR 20.75

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-30.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.09 SAR 120

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-31.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 SAR 30.78

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-13.04%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$2.70 SAR 10.15

$2.91 COP 9,277

-7.22%

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

$0.76 SAR 2.84

$1.75 COP 5,585

-56.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.95

$1.32 COP 4,218

-81.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.61

$1.41 COP 4,495

5.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$2.44 COP 7,777

-62.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.70

$1.63 COP 5,191

42.33%

Eggs

$2.09 SAR 7.84

$2.82 COP 8,990

-25.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.44 SAR 20.44

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-43.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 SAR 26.39

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-24.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.49 SAR 46.90

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-7.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 SAR 9.10

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-39.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 SAR 7.42

$1.48 COP 4,719

33.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.60

$2.12 COP 6,768

8.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$2.25 COP 7,178

-31.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$1.91 COP 6,092

-28.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

$1.62 COP 5,160

-15.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 SAR 3.49

$1.15 COP 3,658

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 SAR 2.68

$1.26 COP 4,021

-43.65%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SAR 28.32

$3.82 COP 12.2K

97.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.17 COP 3,731

-10.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 SAR 138

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-50.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 SAR 5.12

$1.27 COP 4,056

7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.32

$2.05 COP 6,531

-18.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 SAR 21.44

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-30.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.27 COP 4,046

-49.61%

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

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

56.14%

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

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-39.98%

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

$149 SAR 558

$162 COP 516.9K

-8.37%

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

$27.41 SAR 103

$13.12 COP 41.8K

108.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.7 SAR 341

$28.09 COP 89.5K

222.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.9 SAR 296

$44.33 COP 141.2K

77.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 SAR 33.83

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-44.83%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 SAR 50.7

$6.09 COP 19.4K

121.84%

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

$294 SAR 1,103

$764 COP 2.4M

-61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-38.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.85 SAR 138

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-56.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.4 SAR 204

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-5.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 SAR 252

$132 COP 419.8K

-49.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 SAR 263

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,139

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-44.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 SAR 1,988

$604 COP 1.9M

-12.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$779 SAR 2,926

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-56.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 SAR 2,151

$993 COP 3.2M

-42.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,309 SAR 8,670

$3,921 COP 12.5M

-41.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,356 SAR 5,091

$1,639 COP 5.2M

-17.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,244 SAR 4,671

$626 COP 2.0M

98.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.17

10.94

-61.88%

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

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medina

$529 39.2%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 14.2% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medina

$267 19.7%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 23.7% $63

Groceries & Markets

Medina

$191 14.1%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 51.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Medina

$106 7.8%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 46.6% $49

Eating Out

Medina

$105 7.8%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 58% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Medina

$103 7.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 62.1% $64

Getting Around

Medina

$51 3.8%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 79.7% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $570 in Medina versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 99% higher in Medina, 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 $32.00 in Medina versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $288 – making Medina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Medina

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

03:37 3:37 AM

8 h behind Medina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100,093

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medina Medellin 12,220 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Medina
Medellin

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

Medina vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,047 per month in Medina and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medina, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Medina and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,364 in Medina and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medina, where all-in costs run around $1,364, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Medina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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