Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sharjah and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,589 a month against $1,841 in Sharjah, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sharjah outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,841

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,841 per month in Sharjah vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Sharjah $1,841
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Sharjah vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Sharjah $2,576
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $3,312 per month in Sharjah vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Sharjah $3,312
Medellin $3,139

Sharjah costs about 16% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sharjah and Medellin sit above the global median – Sharjah by 37%, Medellin by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.97 AED 21.92

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-25.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.91 AED 121

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-29.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 AED 30.45

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-12.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.35 AED 34.35

Cappuccino

$3.82 AED 14.02

$2.91 COP 9,277

31.27%

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

$0.80 AED 2.93

$1.75 COP 5,585

-54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 AED 1.05

$1.32 COP 4,218

-78.03%

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)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$1.41 COP 4,495

9.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 AED 4.38

$2.44 COP 7,777

-51.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 AED 6.71

$1.63 COP 5,191

12.27%

Eggs

$3.21 AED 11.80

$2.82 COP 8,990

13.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 AED 31.73

$9.69 COP 30.9K

-10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 AED 24.36

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-28.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.46 AED 42.09

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-14.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 AED 8.33

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-43.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 AED 6.12

$1.48 COP 4,719

12.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 AED 4.78

$2.12 COP 6,768

-38.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 AED 4.72

$2.25 COP 7,178

-43.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.79

$1.91 COP 6,092

-46.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 AED 4.12

$1.62 COP 5,160

-30.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$1.15 COP 3,658

24.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 AED 2.23

$1.26 COP 4,021

-51.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.53 AED 57.0

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 AED 8.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 AED 9.50

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.19

$3.82 COP 12.2K

65.18%

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)

$2.16 AED 7.92

$1.17 COP 3,731

84.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.07 AED 99.4

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-63.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 AED 13.42

$1.27 COP 4,056

187.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 AED 1.91

$2.05 COP 6,531

-74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.07 AED 44.33

$8.20 COP 26.1K

47.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 AED 3.46

$1.27 COP 4,046

-25.98%

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

$45.2K AED 166.0K

$26.8K COP 85.3M

68.80%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-35.99%

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

$208 AED 766

$162 COP 516.9K

28.53%

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

$49.40 AED 181

$13.12 COP 41.8K

276.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$96.1 AED 353

$28.09 COP 89.5K

242.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 AED 196

$44.33 COP 141.2K

20.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.29 AED 81.9

$16.33 COP 52.0K

36.50%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 AED 49.72

$6.09 COP 19.4K

122.33%

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

$325 AED 1,194

$764 COP 2.4M

-57.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,433 AED 31.0K

$8,904 COP 28.4M

-5.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 AED 212

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-32.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.0 AED 286

$57.5 COP 183.2K

35.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 AED 401

$132 COP 419.8K

-17.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.1 AED 353

$95.8 COP 305.1K

0.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 AED 3,024

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-19.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 AED 3,329

$604 COP 1.9M

49.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 AED 6,598

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-0.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 AED 5,148

$993 COP 3.2M

41.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,241 AED 30.3K

$3,921 COP 12.5M

110.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,748 AED 10.1K

$1,639 COP 5.2M

67.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,191 AED 8,045

$626 COP 2.0M

249.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

10.94

-58.87%

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

Last update for Sharjah: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sharjah

$906 49%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 33.3% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sharjah

$354 19.1%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 42.5% $151

Groceries & Markets

Sharjah

$192 10.4%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 50.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Sharjah

$153 8.3%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 8.5% $13

Eating Out

Sharjah

$123 6.6%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 35.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sharjah

$81 4.4%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 29.9% $24

Getting Around

Sharjah

$42 2.3%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 117% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $823 in Sharjah 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 250% higher in Sharjah, 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 $33.00 in Sharjah versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $288 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

14:41 2:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

9 h behind Sharjah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,400,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sharjah Medellin 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Sharjah
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

Sharjah vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,761 per month in Sharjah 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 Medellin, 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 $33.00 in Sharjah 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 $1,841 in Sharjah and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 16%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Sharjah at $1,841. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sharjah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medellin – 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 Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sharjah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.