Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Kota Kinabalu and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Kota Kinabalu is 5.7% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 14.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Kota Kinabalu is 5.3% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 13.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.51 MYR 13.85
$6.03 COP 22.7K
-41.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.61 MYR 73.3
$33.17 COP 124.8K
-43.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.70 MYR 18.52
$7.29 COP 27.4K
-35.53%
Cappuccino
$2.61 MYR 10.30
$1.63 COP 6,133
60.12%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 MYR 2.53
$1.05 COP 3,947
-39.05%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 MYR 1.43
$0.77 COP 2,899
-53.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.33 MYR 9.16
$1.73 COP 6,510
34.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.56 MYR 14.01
$3.18 COP 12.0K
11.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 MYR 6.61
$1.07 COP 4,015
57.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.24 MYR 4.90
$1.31 COP 4,935
-5.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 MYR 6.56
$1.38 COP 5,195
21.01%
Eggs
$2.93 MYR 11.54
$2.25 COP 8,457
30.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.42 MYR 104
$4.48 COP 16.9K
489.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.45 MYR 13.59
$5.74 COP 21.6K
-39.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.14 MYR 28.15
$8.86 COP 33.3K
-19.41%
Apples (1kg)
$2.66 MYR 10.47
$2.24 COP 8,438
18.75%
Banana (1kg)
$1.13 MYR 4.44
$1.06 COP 3,988
6.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 MYR 12.60
$1.51 COP 5,697
111.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.98 MYR 7.82
$1.36 COP 5,119
45.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 MYR 5.78
$1.12 COP 4,218
31.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.75 MYR 6.89
$1.17 COP 4,400
49.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 MYR 4.41
$0.90 COP 3,395
24.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 MYR 1.88
$0.84 COP 3,150
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MYR 16.36
$2.26 COP 8,501
83.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$27.15 MYR 107
$9.97 COP 37.5K
172.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 MYR 7.51
$1.18 COP 4,451
61.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 MYR 6.40
$2.39 COP 8,993
-31.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.54 MYR 6.08
$0.86 COP 3,233
79.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$40.82 MYR 161
$41.45 COP 156.0K
-1.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.86 MYR 7.32
$1.47 COP 5,521
26.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.46 MYR 1.82
$1.95 COP 7,323
-76.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.79 MYR 22.83
$7.76 COP 29.2K
-25.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.49 MYR 1.95
$0.97 COP 3,640
-49.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K MYR 117.4K
$17.9K COP 67.5M
66.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.9K MYR 109.9K
$26.7K COP 100.6M
4.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.8 MYR 204
$81.1 COP 305.2K
-36.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.14 MYR 35.99
$9.40 COP 35.4K
-2.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.16 MYR 131
$23.61 COP 88.8K
40.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.77 MYR 169
$25.55 COP 96.1K
67.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.96 MYR 11.66
$19.29 COP 72.6K
-84.66%
Cinema Ticket
$4.57 MYR 18.00
$4.10 COP 15.4K
11.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$132 MYR 519
$306 COP 1.2M
-57.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,466 MYR 17.6K
$5,899 COP 22.2M
-24.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 MYR 236
$59.8 COP 225.1K
-0.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.69 MYR 89.4
$31.96 COP 120.3K
-29.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.6 MYR 278
$103 COP 386.5K
-31.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.5 MYR 364
$108 COP 405.9K
-14.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$382 MYR 1,506
$483 COP 1.8M
-20.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$166 MYR 652
$377 COP 1.4M
-56.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$656 MYR 2,585
$822 COP 3.1M
-20.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$367 MYR 1,446
$721 COP 2.7M
-49.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,910 MYR 7,524
$2,784 COP 10.5M
-31.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,123 MYR 4,426
$1,320 COP 5.0M
-14.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kota Kinabalu
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$609 MYR 2,401
$538 COP 2.0M
13.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.8
13.43
-71.71%

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

Last update for Kota Kinabalu: March 1, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 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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