City comparison
Cost of living in Dubai vs Medellín
One person needs about €2,794 a month in Dubai and €968 in Medellín, rent included — Medellín is 65% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Medellín the way you live in Dubai on €3,000, you need
€1,039/ month net
65% less than today (-€1,961)
- Dubai today
- Basket €2,794 · left over €206 (7%)
- Medellín at the matched salary
- Basket €968 · left over €71 (7%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 134% over in Medellín (adequate) vs 186% in Dubai. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇦🇪 Dubai
Zero income tax pulls net pay up; housing and schooling pull disposable income back down.
Monthly budget: €2,794
Sources: Dubai Statistics Center + DLD, CPI & Dubai Land Department rent index (2025) · 187 community reports
🇨🇴 Medellín
Spring weather year-round and the cheapest nomad hub in the Americas.
Monthly budget: €968
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
Should you move to Dubai or Medellín?
On salary, Dubai pays more for tech roles (€5,200 versus €1,300 a month), so the money left over after costs is €2,406 in Dubai at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €1,900 in Dubai against €600 in Medellín. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Dubai at 69 and Medellín at 76 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.