Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bayan Lepas and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bayan Lepas: $735 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bayan Lepas
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Bayan Lepas Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bayan Lepas

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$735

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bayan Lepas $735
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,214 in Bayan Lepas versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bayan Lepas $1,214
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Bayan Lepas versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bayan Lepas $1,694
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bayan Lepas costs roughly 55% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bayan Lepas is 46% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.97 MYR 12.11

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-63.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.85 MYR 68.7

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-64.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 MYR 16.65

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-56.95%

Cappuccino

$2.81 MYR 11.45

$3.01 COP 9,485

-6.64%

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

$0.84 MYR 3.44

$1.80 COP 5,660

-53.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$1.41 COP 4,443

-60.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 MYR 19.46

$3.18 COP 9,990

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 MYR 20.14

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-14.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 MYR 10.44

$1.51 COP 4,751

69.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 MYR 3.94

$2.38 COP 7,480

-59.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 MYR 3.63

$1.77 COP 5,573

-49.72%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.35

$2.89 COP 9,093

-29.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.47 MYR 14.15

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-64.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.91 MYR 28.16

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-50.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 MYR 12.66

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-21.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.47

$1.55 COP 4,883

2.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 MYR 12.56

$2.18 COP 6,867

41.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.79

$2.18 COP 6,870

-45.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 MYR 5.31

$1.96 COP 6,174

-33.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.90

$1.59 COP 5,000

-24.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.15 COP 3,604

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MYR 2.74

$1.24 COP 3,911

-45.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.09 MYR 20.72

$3.96 COP 12.5K

28.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.20 MYR 78.2

$13.68 COP 43.0K

40.35%

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)

$0.64 MYR 2.59

$1.17 COP 3,674

-45.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.76 MYR 60.1

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-80.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 MYR 6.35

$1.27 COP 3,989

22.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 MYR 3.12

$1.35 COP 4,237

-42.96%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

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

$24.53 MYR 99.9

$170 COP 533.7K

-85.54%

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

$11.64 MYR 47.44

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-14.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 MYR 127

$28.07 COP 88.3K

11.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.63 MYR 121

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-32.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.39 MYR 30.10

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-57.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.83 MYR 19.66

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-30.10%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.33 MYR 160

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-53.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.27 MYR 107

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-54.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.0 MYR 261

$135 COP 424.6K

-52.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 MYR 329

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 MYR 804

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-83.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 MYR 902

$642 COP 2.0M

-65.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 MYR 2,022

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-75.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 MYR 2,316

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-43.82%

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)

$965 MYR 3,931

$657 COP 2.1M

46.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

10.94

-68.01%

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

Last update for Bayan Lepas: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bayan Lepas

$221 30.1%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 190% $420

Groceries & Markets

Bayan Lepas

$184 * 25.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 61.1% $113

Eating Out

Bayan Lepas

$109 14.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 55.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Bayan Lepas

$95 12.9%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 78.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bayan Lepas

$67 9.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 214% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Bayan Lepas

$39 5.3%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 46.5% $18

Getting Around

Bayan Lepas

$19 * 2.6%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 396% $75

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $197 in Bayan Lepas and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bayan Lepas pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17 in Bayan Lepas vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $297 per month, with Bayan Lepas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bayan Lepas

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

16:08 4:08 PM

13 h behind Bayan Lepas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,600

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bayan Lepas Medellin 18,650 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Bayan Lepas
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

Bayan Lepas vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $735 in Bayan Lepas and $1,639 in Medellin, so Bayan Lepas is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Bayan Lepas, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $197 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bayan Lepas – a meal for two runs $17 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Bayan Lepas runs roughly 81% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $735 in Bayan Lepas versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bayan Lepas but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bayan Lepas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bayan Lepas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.