Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shaab and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Shaab: $1,386 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Shaab
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Shaab Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Shaab

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,386

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,386 per month in Shaab vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Shaab $1,386
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $2,294 per month in Shaab vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Shaab $2,294
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $3,201 per month in Shaab vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Shaab $3,201
Medellin $3,186

Shaab is about 15% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shaab and Medellin sit above the global median – Shaab by 2%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.70 KWD 3.91

$8.09 COP 25.4K

56.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 KWD 19.47

$47.05 COP 148.0K

34.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 KWD 2.74

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-6.53%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.97 KWD 1.53

Cappuccino

$5.21 KWD 1.61

$3.01 COP 9,485

73.09%

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

$0.70 KWD 0.22

$1.80 COP 5,660

-61.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 KWD 0.09

$1.41 COP 4,443

-79.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 KWD 0.49

$1.51 COP 4,751

4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 KWD 0.45

$2.38 COP 7,480

-38.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 KWD 0.61

$1.77 COP 5,573

11.86%

Eggs

$2.07 KWD 0.64

$2.89 COP 9,093

-28.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.42 KWD 1.36

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-56.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 KWD 2.08

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-31.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 KWD 3.13

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-27.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 KWD 0.78

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$1.55 COP 4,883

23.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 KWD 0.58

$2.18 COP 6,867

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 KWD 0.46

$2.18 COP 6,870

-32.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 KWD 0.41

$1.96 COP 6,174

-32.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 KWD 0.46

$1.59 COP 5,000

-6.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 KWD 0.71

$1.15 COP 3,604

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KWD 0.18

$1.24 COP 3,911

-54.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.15 KWD 0.97

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 KWD 0.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.69 KWD 0.83

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-32.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 KWD 0.25

$1.17 COP 3,674

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 KWD 1.50

$1.27 COP 3,989

283.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.30 KWD 1.02

$2.05 COP 6,442

60.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.86 KWD 4.89

$8.55 COP 26.9K

85.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$1.35 COP 4,237

-74.07%

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

$23.6K KWD 7,262

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-30.81%

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

$19.5K KWD 6,015

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-43.69%

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

$66.5 KWD 20.47

$170 COP 533.7K

-60.83%

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

$22.82 KWD 7.03

$13.55 COP 42.6K

68.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.54 KWD 9.10

$28.07 COP 88.3K

5.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$102 KWD 31.37

$43.70 COP 137.5K

132.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 KWD 3.97

$6.91 COP 21.7K

86.69%

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

$503 KWD 155

$797 COP 2.5M

-36.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,302 KWD 2,866

$9,112 COP 28.7M

2.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.18 KWD 11.46

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-56.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.66 KWD 12.22

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-31.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 KWD 30.01

$135 COP 424.6K

-27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.5 KWD 26.94

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-10.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 KWD 245

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-34.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 KWD 190

$642 COP 2.0M

-3.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 KWD 522

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-16.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,320 KWD 407

$1,012 COP 3.2M

30.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,175 KWD 978

$657 COP 2.1M

383.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

10.94

-40.31%

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

Last update for Shaab: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shaab

$617 44.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 4% $25

Eating Out

Shaab

$195 14.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 12.9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Shaab

$186 13.4%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 59.6% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Shaab

$128 9.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 54.9% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shaab

$119 8.6%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 77.8% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Shaab

$118 8.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 43.5% $51

Getting Around

Shaab

$25 * 1.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 280% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Shaab versus $1,208 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 in Shaab are about 4.8 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 $63 in Shaab versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Shaab vs $297 in Medellin – so Shaab wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Shaab

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

16:08 4:08 PM

8 h behind Shaab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,212

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to KWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shaab Medellin 12,810 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Shaab
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

Shaab vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,080 per month in Shaab and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shaab, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $796 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Shaab and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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