Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taif and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Taif: $1,255 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Taif
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Taif Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Taif

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,255

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,255 per month in Taif vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Taif $1,255
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,844 per month in Taif vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Taif $1,844
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,434 per month in Taif vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Taif $2,434
Medellin $3,199

Taif is about 23% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Taif sits 7% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.35 SAR 20.09

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-35.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 SAR 144

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-18.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 SAR 27.76

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-19.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

Cappuccino

$2.16 SAR 8.12

$3.05 COP 9,676

-29.18%

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

$0.69 SAR 2.60

$1.80 COP 5,707

-61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.84

$1.38 COP 4,382

-84.06%

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)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

$1.50 COP 4,760

18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 SAR 0.97

$2.37 COP 7,508

-89.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.69

$1.70 COP 5,377

36.47%

Eggs

$2.60 SAR 9.75

$2.96 COP 9,379

-12.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.02 SAR 22.60

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-41.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 SAR 25.35

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-30.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 SAR 34.45

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-43.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 SAR 6.72

$1.53 COP 4,839

16.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

$2.22 COP 7,052

-14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 SAR 6.93

$2.27 COP 7,194

-18.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.99 COP 6,311

-35.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.62

$1.67 COP 5,285

-10.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 SAR 3.44

$1.18 COP 3,742

-22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 SAR 3.10

$1.24 COP 3,919

-33.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.97 SAR 11.14

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 SAR 5.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 SAR 7.57

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 SAR 24.72

$3.87 COP 12.3K

70.28%

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)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$1.24 COP 3,944

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.81 SAR 138

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-52.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.28 COP 4,044

1.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.03 SAR 7.60

$2.15 COP 6,803

-5.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.34 SAR 35.06

$8.37 COP 26.5K

11.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 SAR 2.23

$1.35 COP 4,288

-55.56%

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

$26.1K SAR 97.8K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-25.04%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.5K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-36.62%

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

$142 SAR 531

$167 COP 528.4K

-15.04%

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

$27.78 SAR 104

$13.62 COP 43.2K

103.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.6 SAR 258

$29.12 COP 92.3K

135.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$146 SAR 550

$45.09 COP 143.0K

224.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.36 SAR 50.1

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-22.24%

Cinema Ticket

$20.00 SAR 75.1

$6.97 COP 22.1K

186.94%

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

$183 SAR 688

$790 COP 2.5M

-76.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,266 SAR 12.3K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-63.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.45 SAR 159

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-51.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.0 SAR 214

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$139 COP 440.7K

-30.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-11.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 SAR 2,166

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-43.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 SAR 1,415

$620 COP 2.0M

-39.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$833 SAR 3,127

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-55.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 SAR 2,144

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-43.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,370 SAR 8,893

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-40.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,346 SAR 5,050

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-20.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,574 SAR 5,906

$663 COP 2.1M

137.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

10.94

-49.36%

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

Last update for Taif: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Taif

$377 30.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 64.3% $242

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taif

$238 19%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 12% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Taif

$186 14.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 68.3% $127

Groceries & Markets

Taif

$179 14.3%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 66.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Taif

$127 10.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 35.6% $45

Eating Out

Taif

$95 7.5%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 80.5% $76

Getting Around

Taif

$52 4.2%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 81.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $577 in Taif 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 137% higher in Taif, 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 $38.00 in Taif versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $179 vs $298 – making Taif the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Taif

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

05:49 5:49 AM

8 h behind Taif

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,970

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 = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 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 SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Taif Medellin 12,400 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Taif
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

Taif vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,882 per month in Taif 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 Taif, 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 $38.00 in Taif 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 $1,255 in Taif and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Taif, where all-in costs run around $1,255, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Taif it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Taif – 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 Taif. 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.