Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bintulu and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $852 in Bintulu versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Bintulu $852
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Bintulu versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Bintulu $1,331
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Bintulu versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Bintulu $1,810
Medellin $3,249

Living in Bintulu costs roughly 50% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bintulu is 37% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.02 MYR 16.39

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-51.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.75 MYR 76.4

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-59.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 MYR 23.38

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-39.39%

Cappuccino

$2.89 MYR 11.80

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-7.67%

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

$0.68 MYR 2.78

$1.77 COP 5,728

-61.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 MYR 1.53

$1.42 COP 4,620

-73.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 MYR 12.17

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.19 MYR 21.16

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-8.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 MYR 8.57

$1.53 COP 4,971

37.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 MYR 5.82

$2.29 COP 7,431

-37.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 MYR 5.39

$1.94 COP 6,308

-31.96%

Eggs

$2.21 MYR 8.99

$3.07 COP 9,945

-28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.39 MYR 70.9

$9.99 COP 32.4K

74.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 MYR 14.63

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-65.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.95 MYR 24.24

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-57.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$4.05 COP 13.1K

-56.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 MYR 4.06

$1.53 COP 4,957

-34.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 MYR 6.96

$2.10 COP 6,825

-18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 MYR 4.58

$2.29 COP 7,439

-51.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 MYR 2.24

$2.11 COP 6,841

-73.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.71 COP 5,543

-30.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 MYR 3.06

$1.17 COP 3,795

-35.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.82

$1.58 COP 5,125

-71.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.11 MYR 16.75

$3.91 COP 12.7K

5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.47 MYR 79.4

$14.04 COP 45.6K

38.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.02 MYR 12.32

$1.76 COP 5,714

71.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 MYR 8.15

$2.71 COP 8,796

-26.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 MYR 5.14

$1.18 COP 3,826

6.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.05 MYR 65.4

$76.3 COP 247.4K

-78.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 MYR 3.89

$1.81 COP 5,860

-47.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 MYR 3.33

$2.13 COP 6,906

-61.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 MYR 10.21

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-69.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 MYR 2.71

$1.28 COP 4,136

-48.44%

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

$44.8K MYR 182.5K

$34.4K COP 111.7M

30.07%

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

$39.9K MYR 162.4K

$34.1K COP 110.7M

16.75%

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

$59.5 MYR 242

$178 COP 576.4K

-66.53%

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

$31.54 MYR 129

$13.89 COP 45.0K

127.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.82 MYR 126

$30.74 COP 99.7K

0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.5 MYR 279

$41.94 COP 136.0K

63.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.11 MYR 49.34

$16.80 COP 54.5K

-27.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.51 MYR 18.38

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-39.63%

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

$125 MYR 509

$790 COP 2.6M

-84.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,487 MYR 30.5K

$12.3K COP 39.9M

-39.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 MYR 267

$86.3 COP 280.0K

-24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 MYR 144

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-40.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 MYR 319

$138 COP 448.7K

-43.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.1 MYR 375

$98.8 COP 320.5K

-6.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 MYR 912

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-83.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 MYR 636

$667 COP 2.2M

-76.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$474 MYR 1,933

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-75.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 MYR 1,366

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-67.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,775 MYR 7,235

$4,098 COP 13.3M

-56.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,172 MYR 4,776

$1,940 COP 6.3M

-39.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$613 MYR 2,498

$646 COP 2.1M

-5.14%

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 Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bintulu

$235 27.6%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 30.8% $72

Accommodation & Living

Bintulu

$156 18.3%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 328% $511

Clothing & Footwear

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 41.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bintulu

$122 14.3%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 82.5% $101

Eating Out

Bintulu

$114 13.3%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 51.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bintulu

$78 9.1%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 26.6% $21

Getting Around

Bintulu

$26 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 257% $67

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $224 in Bintulu and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Bintulu vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $307 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

13 h behind Bintulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

240,172

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,243 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bintulu Medellin 18,590 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Bintulu
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

Bintulu vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Bintulu. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $224 in Bintulu versus $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $852 per month in Bintulu versus $1,692 in Medellin – Bintulu is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 79% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.