Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yanbu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Yanbu: $1,021 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
Medellin, Colombia
Yanbu
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,021
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Yanbu vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Yanbu $1,021
  • Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,620 per month in Yanbu vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Yanbu $1,620
  • Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,220 per month in Yanbu vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

  • Yanbu $2,220
  • Medellin $3,186

Yanbu is about 38% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Yanbu sits 25% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.99 SAR 22.48
$8.09 COP 26.1K
-25.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.12 SAR 143
$47.05 COP 151.9K
-18.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.67 SAR 25.03
$9.50 COP 30.7K
-29.79%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.57 SAR 5.88
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 SAR 6.18
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.90 SAR 14.65
$3.01 COP 9,735
29.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 SAR 3.07
$1.80 COP 5,809
-54.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.18 SAR 0.68
$1.41 COP 4,561
-87.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.18 COP 10.3K
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$5.75 COP 18.6K
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 SAR 6.40
$1.51 COP 4,876
13.25%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 SAR 3.52
$2.38 COP 7,678
-60.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 SAR 8.26
$1.77 COP 5,720
24.29%
Eggs
$2.53 SAR 9.49
$2.89 COP 9,333
-12.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.33 SAR 23.76
$10.19 COP 32.9K
-37.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.43 SAR 31.64
$9.87 COP 31.9K
-14.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.00 SAR 48.78
$13.99 COP 45.2K
-7.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.12 SAR 7.97
$3.97 COP 12.8K
-46.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.71 SAR 6.41
$1.55 COP 5,012
10.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 SAR 5.46
$2.18 COP 7,048
-33.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.62 SAR 6.06
$2.18 COP 7,051
-25.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 SAR 4.39
$1.96 COP 6,337
-40.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 SAR 3.91
$1.59 COP 5,132
-34.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 SAR 4.13
$1.15 COP 3,699
-4.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 SAR 2.03
$1.24 COP 4,014
-56.45%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.33 SAR 4.98
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 SAR 5.10
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 SAR 8.26
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.48 SAR 24.32
$3.96 COP 12.8K
63.64%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$13.68 COP 44.2K
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.66 COP 5,359
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.26 COP 7,291
-
🚌 Getting Around
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 SAR 3.97
$1.17 COP 3,771
-9.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.43 SAR 140
$77.4 COP 249.8K
-51.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 SAR 11.82
$1.27 COP 4,094
148.03%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 SAR 2.94
$2.05 COP 6,612
-61.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.66 SAR 51.3
$8.55 COP 27.6K
59.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.62 SAR 2.32
$1.35 COP 4,349
-54.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.9K SAR 142.4K
$34.1K COP 110.0M
11.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K SAR 82.5K
$34.7K COP 111.9M
-36.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$91.4 SAR 343
$170 COP 547.8K
-46.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.38 SAR 84.0
$13.55 COP 43.8K
65.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$67.0 SAR 251
$28.07 COP 90.6K
138.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$95.6 SAR 359
$43.70 COP 141.1K
118.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.53 SAR 99.6
$17.19 COP 55.5K
54.33%
Cinema Ticket
$11.78 SAR 44.21
$6.91 COP 22.3K
70.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$263 SAR 987
$797 COP 2.6M
-67.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,844 SAR 14.4K
$9,112 COP 29.4M
-57.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.3 SAR 279
$84.7 COP 273.5K
-12.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.7 SAR 217
$58.0 COP 187.2K
-0.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.2 SAR 372
$135 COP 435.8K
-26.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.5 SAR 351
$97.9 COP 316.0K
-4.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$315 SAR 1,181
$1,208 COP 3.9M
-73.95%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$211 SAR 790
$642 COP 2.1M
-67.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$610 SAR 2,288
$2,028 COP 6.5M
-69.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$414 SAR 1,552
$1,012 COP 3.3M
-59.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,702 SAR 6,387
$4,170 COP 13.5M
-59.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,237 SAR 4,644
$1,910 COP 6.2M
-35.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Yanbu
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,411 SAR 12.8K
$657 COP 2.1M
419.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.39
10.94
-50.73%

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

Last update for Yanbu: 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
Yanbu
$210
Medellin
$642 205% $431
Groceries & Markets
Yanbu
$197
Medellin
$297 51% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Yanbu
$181
Medellin
$211 16.8% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Yanbu
$146
Medellin
$169 15.6% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Yanbu
$119
Medellin
$58 51.7% $62
Eating Out
Yanbu
$119
Medellin
$170 42.8% $51
Getting Around
Yanbu
$49
Medellin
$94 91.9% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $315 in Yanbu 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 Yanbu are about 5.2 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 $38 in Yanbu versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $297 – making Yanbu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇦 Yanbu
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
06:07 6:07 AM
22:07 10:07 PM
8 h behind Yanbu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
233,236
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Yanbu Medellin 12,080 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Yanbu
  • 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
Yanbu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yanbu cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 61%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Yanbu and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Yanbu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Yanbu or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Yanbu and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Yanbu and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,021 in Yanbu and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Yanbu about 38% cheaper.
Is $1,000 enough to cover costs in Yanbu or in Medellin?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,021 in Yanbu and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Yanbu or Medellin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Yanbu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Yanbu is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 38% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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