Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sanaa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sanaa: $1,027 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
Learn more

Sanaa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,027

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sanaa 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 Sanaa and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,027 per month in Sanaa vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanaa $1,027
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,623 per month in Sanaa vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanaa $1,623
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Sanaa vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Sanaa $2,220
Medellin $3,199

Sanaa is about 37% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Sanaa sits 24% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.50 YER 1,534

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-21.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.73 YER 6,069

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-45.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 YER 2,211

$9.24 COP 29.3K

1.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 YER 477

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 610

Cappuccino

$3.78 YER 892

$3.05 COP 9,676

23.93%

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

$1.12 YER 264

$1.80 COP 5,707

-37.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 YER 131

$1.38 COP 4,382

-59.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 YER 474

$1.50 COP 4,760

34.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 YER 401

$2.37 COP 7,508

-28.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 YER 470

$1.70 COP 5,377

17.06%

Eggs

$3.75 YER 885

$2.96 COP 9,379

26.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 YER 4,107

$10.22 COP 32.4K

70.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.39 YER 1,980

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 YER 4,475

$13.90 COP 44.1K

36.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 YER 783

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-19.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 YER 249

$1.53 COP 4,839

-31.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 YER 529

$2.22 COP 7,052

0.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 YER 392

$2.27 COP 7,194

-26.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 YER 357

$1.99 COP 6,311

-24.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 YER 313

$1.67 COP 5,285

-20.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 YER 283

$1.18 COP 3,742

1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 YER 159

$1.24 COP 3,919

-45.97%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.49 YER 587

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 438

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 YER 614

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.36 YER 1,265

$3.87 COP 12.3K

38.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 YER 104

$1.24 COP 3,944

-64.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.2 YER 19.9K

$78.2 COP 248.0K

7.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 YER 1,005

$1.28 COP 4,044

232.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 YER 492

$2.15 COP 6,803

-3.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 YER 1,763

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-10.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 YER 500

$1.35 COP 4,288

57.04%

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

$17.1K YER 4.0M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-50.69%

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

$34.5K YER 8.1M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-0.63%

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

$109 YER 25.6K

$167 COP 528.4K

-34.77%

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

$23.24 YER 5,481

$13.62 COP 43.2K

70.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$100 YER 23.7K

$29.12 COP 92.3K

244.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.4 YER 15.9K

$45.09 COP 143.0K

49.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 YER 3,899

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-3.78%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 YER 1,413

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-14.06%

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

$118 YER 27.9K

$790 COP 2.5M

-85.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,167 YER 511.2K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-76.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.90 YER 9,884

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-52.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$123 YER 28.9K

$58.2 COP 184.4K

110.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.13 YER 11.4K

$139 COP 440.7K

-65.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.83 YER 9,632

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-58.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 YER 52.9K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-78.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 YER 22.9K

$620 COP 2.0M

-84.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 YER 96.3K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-78.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 YER 64.5K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-72.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,161 YER 981.6K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

4.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$798 YER 188.3K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-53.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 YER 46.2K

$663 COP 2.1M

-70.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

10.94

2.83%

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

Last update for Sanaa: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sanaa

$271 26.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 9.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sanaa

$232 22.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 9.9% $23

Eating Out

Sanaa

$132 12.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 29.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sanaa

$114 11.1%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 51.4% $59

Getting Around

Sanaa

$101 9.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 5.4% $5.5

Accommodation & Living

Sanaa

$97 9.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 539% $523

Sport & Entertainment

Sanaa

$79 7.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 25.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $224 in Sanaa 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 238% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Sanaa versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $271 vs $298 – making Sanaa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

05:50 5:50 AM

8 h behind Sanaa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,527,861 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇾🇪 Yemeni Rial (﷼)

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to YER in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sanaa Medellin 12,960 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Sanaa
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

Sanaa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,541 per month in Sanaa and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, 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 $26.00 in Sanaa 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 $1,027 in Sanaa and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 58%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sanaa, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sanaa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sanaa. 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.