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

🙂 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 0.8% cheaper than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 0.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 18.9% more expensive than Kuala Lumpur without rent, and 1.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.22 COP 22.4K

$4.82 MYR 19.04

29.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.85 COP 172.3K

$28.46 MYR 112

68.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 COP 34.8K

$4.74 MYR 18.71

104.01%

Cappuccino

$1.60 COP 5,759

$2.99 MYR 11.83

-46.49%

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

$0.85 COP 3,075

$0.92 MYR 3.64

-7.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 COP 2,417

$0.53 MYR 2.11

26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 COP 4,528

$4.13 MYR 16.33

-69.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 COP 10.3K

$5.73 MYR 22.65

-50.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 COP 4,324

$2.07 MYR 8.16

-42.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 COP 6,571

$1.01 MYR 3.99

80.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 COP 4,789

$1.65 MYR 6.51

-19.39%

Eggs

$2.12 COP 7,631

$2.26 MYR 8.92

-6.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.77 COP 24.4K

$14.58 MYR 57.6

-53.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 COP 22.1K

$4.50 MYR 17.78

36.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.89 COP 28.4K

$9.46 MYR 37.38

-16.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 COP 11.8K

$2.98 MYR 11.78

9.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 COP 6,820

$1.63 MYR 6.45

15.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 COP 5,465

$2.67 MYR 10.55

-43.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 COP 5,661

$1.48 MYR 5.83

6.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 COP 5,779

$1.28 MYR 5.07

25.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 COP 3,850

$1.33 MYR 5.26

-19.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 COP 3,811

$1.21 MYR 4.78

-12.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 COP 2,127

$0.63 MYR 2.47

-6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.34 COP 8,443

$4.28 MYR 16.92

-45.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.77 COP 64.0K

$18.74 MYR 74.0

-5.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 COP 3,308

$3.40 MYR 13.44

-72.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 COP 3,673

$4.45 MYR 17.57

-77.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 COP 3,653

$0.70 MYR 2.76

44.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.05 COP 104.6K

$11.87 MYR 46.90

144.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.49 COP 8,954

$1.19 MYR 4.72

109.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 COP 8,953

$1.10 MYR 4.35

126.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 COP 17.1K

$4.84 MYR 19.12

-1.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 COP 3,603

$0.51 MYR 2.01

96.08%

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

$20.9K COP 75.1M

$40.1K MYR 158.3K

-47.95%

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

$24.1K COP 86.7M

$32.7K MYR 129.4K

-26.49%

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

$139 COP 502.0K

$63.6 MYR 251

119.37%

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

$10.98 COP 39.5K

$11.31 MYR 44.66

-2.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.87 COP 89.5K

$25.49 MYR 101

-2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 COP 124.7K

$45.57 MYR 180

-24.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.92 COP 32.1K

$7.62 MYR 30.10

17.06%

Cinema Ticket

$2.96 COP 10.7K

$5.11 MYR 20.19

-42.07%

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

$139 COP 500.0K

$272 MYR 1,073

-48.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,977 COP 21.5M

$9,452 MYR 37.3K

-36.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.60 COP 175.0K

$61.4 MYR 243

-20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.40 COP 141.9K

$36.67 MYR 145

7.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 COP 446.8K

$85.0 MYR 336

46.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 COP 402.1K

$79.2 MYR 313

40.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 COP 2.7M

$575 MYR 2,270

28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$331 COP 1.2M

$376 MYR 1,486

-11.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 COP 4.6M

$1,086 MYR 4,290

16.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 COP 1.7M

$631 MYR 2,492

-24.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,029 COP 10.9M

$3,936 MYR 15.5K

-23.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,953 COP 7.0M

$1,551 MYR 6,125

25.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$408 COP 1.5M

$1,633 MYR 6,451

-75.03%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Kuala Lumpur: April 12, 2026

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

Cartagena vs other spots: cost of living compared

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