Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Kuala Lumpur Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Kuala Lumpur

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 6.8% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 1.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 11.9% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 1.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.99 COP 22.0K

$4.83 MYR 19.60

24.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 COP 171.3K

$28.81 MYR 117

61.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.77 COP 35.9K

$4.63 MYR 18.81

111.02%

Cappuccino

$1.58 COP 5,796

$3.07 MYR 12.46

-48.53%

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

$0.86 COP 3,172

$0.87 MYR 3.53

-1.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 COP 2,658

$0.52 MYR 2.11

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 COP 4,562

$4.21 MYR 17.09

-70.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 COP 10.5K

$5.80 MYR 23.56

-50.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 COP 4,175

$2.00 MYR 8.12

-43.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 COP 6,775

$1.00 MYR 4.07

85.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 COP 4,842

$1.67 MYR 6.77

-20.96%

Eggs

$2.12 COP 7,785

$2.27 MYR 9.20

-6.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.07 COP 26.0K

$14.87 MYR 60.4

-52.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 COP 22.4K

$4.51 MYR 18.32

35.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 COP 29.0K

$9.85 MYR 39.99

-19.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 COP 11.6K

$2.87 MYR 11.64

9.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 COP 7,328

$1.59 MYR 6.45

25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 COP 5,297

$2.58 MYR 10.49

-44.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 COP 5,863

$1.46 MYR 5.91

9.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 COP 5,625

$1.23 MYR 5.01

24.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 COP 3,884

$1.35 MYR 5.46

-21.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 COP 3,872

$1.16 MYR 4.71

-9.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 COP 2,194

$0.67 MYR 2.71

-10.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.24 COP 8,214

$4.17 MYR 16.92

-46.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$24.08 COP 88.4K

$18.47 MYR 75.0

30.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 COP 3,443

$3.41 MYR 13.84

-72.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,731

$4.28 MYR 17.39

-76.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 COP 3,908

$0.72 MYR 2.94

47.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.72 COP 105.4K

$11.94 MYR 48.47

140.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 COP 9,145

$1.21 MYR 4.93

105.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 COP 8,623

$1.11 MYR 4.50

111.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.89 COP 18.0K

$4.79 MYR 19.43

2.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 COP 3,789

$0.48 MYR 1.95

114.58%

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

$21.6K COP 79.3M

$40.7K MYR 165.3K

-47.00%

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

$23.3K COP 85.5M

$32.0K MYR 129.7K

-27.12%

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

$144 COP 527.3K

$64.5 MYR 262

122.60%

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

$10.78 COP 39.6K

$11.58 MYR 47.01

-6.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.52 COP 90.0K

$25.61 MYR 104

-4.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.66 COP 127.3K

$46.05 MYR 187

-24.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.77 COP 32.2K

$8.01 MYR 32.52

9.49%

Cinema Ticket

$2.96 COP 10.9K

$5.35 MYR 21.70

-44.67%

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

$143 COP 523.5K

$266 MYR 1,080

-46.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,863 COP 21.5M

$9,472 MYR 38.5K

-38.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.68 COP 175.1K

$61.3 MYR 249

-22.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.05 COP 143.4K

$36.95 MYR 150

5.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 COP 453.5K

$86.8 MYR 353

42.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 COP 413.2K

$80.0 MYR 325

40.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 COP 2.6M

$578 MYR 2,346

24.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 COP 1.2M

$365 MYR 1,482

-9.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 COP 4.7M

$1,055 MYR 4,284

21.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$467 COP 1.7M

$646 MYR 2,623

-27.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,007 COP 11.0M

$3,619 MYR 14.7K

-16.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,920 COP 7.0M

$1,550 MYR 6,294

23.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$423 COP 1.6M

$1,500 MYR 6,090

-71.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.47

235.57%

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

Last update for Cartagena: January 12, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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