Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,614 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,723
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Kuala Belait vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,576
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Kuala Belait vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,429
Medellin $3,190

Kuala Belait costs about 7% more than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kuala Belait and Medellin sit above the global median – Kuala Belait by 28%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.88 BND 10.08

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-0.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.73 BND 59.8

$46.13 COP 146.3K

1.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 BND 9.87

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-18.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.46 BND 5.70

$3.11 COP 9,866

43.41%

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

$0.94 BND 1.20

$1.83 COP 5,800

-48.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$1.38 COP 4,360

-61.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 BND 2.41

$1.45 COP 4,600

29.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$2.36 COP 7,496

5.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 BND 2.91

$1.68 COP 5,328

35.12%

Eggs

$2.60 BND 3.33

$2.86 COP 9,077

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 BND 24.44

$10.19 COP 32.3K

87.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 BND 12.51

$9.53 COP 30.2K

2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.84 BND 31.79

$14.04 COP 44.5K

76.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$4.07 COP 12.9K

18.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BND 2.83

$1.50 COP 4,742

48.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 BND 6.29

$2.17 COP 6,891

126.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BND 3.30

$2.31 COP 7,310

11.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BND 2.13

$1.93 COP 6,113

-13.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$1.64 COP 5,196

75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.47 BND 7.00

$1.13 COP 3,571

384.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.17

$1.25 COP 3,954

-26.40%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 BND 9.88

$3.99 COP 12.6K

93.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 BND 5.13

$1.32 COP 4,179

203.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BND 4.26

$2.14 COP 6,774

55.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 BND 14.75

$8.47 COP 26.8K

36.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 BND 0.46

$1.30 COP 4,114

-72.31%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

9.77%

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

$27.2K BND 34.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-23.28%

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

$39.35 BND 50.4

$172 COP 545.6K

-77.13%

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

$21.71 BND 27.77

$13.37 COP 42.4K

62.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.6

$28.73 COP 91.1K

127.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

$45.24 COP 143.5K

119.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

$17.04 COP 54.0K

57.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BND 7.12

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-11.46%

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

$214 BND 274

$770 COP 2.4M

-72.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,168 BND 11.7K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

1.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 BND 96.9

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-12.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$103 BND 132

$57.1 COP 181.1K

80.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 BND 197

$137 COP 432.9K

12.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 BND 94.2

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-24.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-28.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

$616 COP 2.0M

26.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-37.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

$1,023 COP 3.2M

16.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,363 BND 4,302

$652 COP 2.1M

415.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

10.94

-64.53%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 21.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 17.6% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 7% $13

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 15.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 69.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 47.6% $53

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 352% $73

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Kuala Belait versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 415% higher in Kuala Belait, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Kuala Belait versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $295 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

13 h behind Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Belait Medellin 18,390 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
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

Kuala Belait vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,723 in Kuala Belait, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Kuala Belait and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medellin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,723 in Kuala Belait and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $214 per month in Kuala Belait and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Medellin, where all-in costs run around $1,614, than in Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Medellin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,614 in Medellin to $1,723 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.