Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Malaysia and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in George Town: $952 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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George Town

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$952

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in George Town versus $1,639 in Medellin.

George Town $952
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,558 in George Town versus $2,413 in Medellin.

George Town $1,558
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,164 in George Town versus $3,186 in Medellin.

George Town $2,164
Medellin $3,186

Living in George Town costs roughly 42% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: George Town is 30% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 MYR 14.01

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-57.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.45 MYR 62.6

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-67.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.68 MYR 18.97

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-50.74%

Cappuccino

$2.75 MYR 11.15

$3.01 COP 9,735

-8.64%

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

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$1.80 COP 5,809

-61.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 MYR 1.42

$1.41 COP 4,561

-75.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 MYR 10.03

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 MYR 17.93

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-23.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 MYR 7.58

$1.51 COP 4,876

23.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.25

$2.38 COP 7,678

-55.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.01

$1.77 COP 5,720

-2.26%

Eggs

$2.22 MYR 8.99

$2.89 COP 9,333

-23.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 MYR 55.4

$10.19 COP 32.9K

33.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.14

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-54.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.70 MYR 35.26

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-37.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.48

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-41.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.91

$1.55 COP 5,012

-5.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 MYR 9.00

$2.18 COP 7,048

1.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 MYR 4.87

$2.18 COP 7,051

-44.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 MYR 3.71

$1.96 COP 6,337

-53.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 MYR 3.45

$1.59 COP 5,132

-46.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 MYR 3.02

$1.15 COP 3,699

-35.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MYR 2.38

$1.24 COP 4,014

-52.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 MYR 18.55

$3.96 COP 12.8K

15.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.84 MYR 76.4

$13.68 COP 44.2K

37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.77

$1.66 COP 5,359

45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 MYR 14.45

$2.26 COP 7,291

57.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$1.17 COP 3,771

-59.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.01 MYR 48.70

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-84.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 MYR 4.99

$1.27 COP 4,094

-3.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 MYR 2.05

$2.05 COP 6,612

-75.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.53 MYR 26.49

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-23.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 MYR 3.34

$1.35 COP 4,349

-39.26%

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

$45.5K MYR 184.6K

$34.1K COP 110.0M

33.70%

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

$34.6K MYR 140.4K

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-0.12%

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

$36.85 MYR 149

$170 COP 547.8K

-78.28%

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

$8.05 MYR 32.62

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-40.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.38 MYR 115

$28.07 COP 90.6K

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 MYR 164

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-7.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.03 MYR 20.38

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-70.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 MYR 18.31

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-34.59%

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

$168 MYR 683

$797 COP 2.6M

-78.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,958 MYR 20.1K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-45.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 MYR 216

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-37.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.86 MYR 141

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-39.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.5 MYR 298

$135 COP 435.8K

-45.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 MYR 287

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-27.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$709 MYR 2,874

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-41.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 MYR 1,485

$642 COP 2.1M

-42.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 MYR 4,475

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-45.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 MYR 3,666

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-10.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,057 MYR 4,285

$657 COP 2.1M

60.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

10.94

-63.07%

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

Last update for George Town: 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

George Town

$366 38.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 75.1% $275

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$241 25.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 23.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$105 11%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 61.6% $64

Eating Out

George Town

$100 10.5%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 69.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$73 7.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 188% $138

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$49 5.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 16.5% $8.1

Getting Around

George Town

$18 1.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 429% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $709 in George Town and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15 in George Town vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $241 vs $297 per month, with George Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇾 George Town

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

07:35 7:35 AM

13 h behind George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

794,313

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.52 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

George Town Medellin 18,640 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

George Town
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

George Town vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 61% higher in George Town, 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: $709 in George Town versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in George Town runs roughly 84% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $168 in George Town versus $797 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

For families, George Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find George Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.