Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malacca and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $612 per month in Malacca vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Malacca $612
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $977 per month in Malacca vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Malacca $977
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,343 per month in Malacca vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Malacca $1,343
Medellin $3,190

Malacca is about 62% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Malacca sits 55% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.27 MYR 13.36

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-58.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.71 MYR 76.3

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-59.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.80 MYR 19.60

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-49.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 MYR 11.56

$3.11 COP 9,866

-9.00%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.15

$1.83 COP 5,800

-57.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.21

$1.38 COP 4,360

-60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$3.05 COP 9,672

-36.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 MYR 12.10

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-46.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MYR 7.03

$1.45 COP 4,600

18.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$2.36 COP 7,496

-52.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MYR 5.78

$1.68 COP 5,328

-15.48%

Eggs

$1.72 MYR 7.02

$2.86 COP 9,077

-39.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.49 MYR 75.4

$10.19 COP 32.3K

81.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 MYR 18.73

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-51.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.83 MYR 44.18

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 MYR 13.29

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-19.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.18

$1.50 COP 4,742

17.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 MYR 9.72

$2.17 COP 6,891

9.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 MYR 6.69

$2.31 COP 7,310

-29.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 MYR 5.99

$1.93 COP 6,113

-23.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 MYR 7.09

$1.64 COP 5,196

6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 MYR 5.61

$1.13 COP 3,571

21.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.23

$1.25 COP 3,954

-56.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 MYR 17.11

$3.99 COP 12.6K

5.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.92 MYR 56.8

$13.35 COP 42.3K

4.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 MYR 8.84

$1.70 COP 5,384

27.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 MYR 12.67

$2.37 COP 7,525

31.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 MYR 1.92

$1.21 COP 3,827

-61.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.40 MYR 50.6

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-83.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 MYR 4.09

$1.32 COP 4,179

-24.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 MYR 2.85

$2.14 COP 6,774

-67.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.03 MYR 49.08

$8.47 COP 26.8K

42.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.51 MYR 2.10

$1.30 COP 4,114

-60.77%

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

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

49.13%

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

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-1.46%

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

$51.7 MYR 211

$172 COP 545.6K

-69.96%

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

$11.20 MYR 45.69

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-16.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.12 MYR 115

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-2.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.13 MYR 90.3

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-51.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.76 MYR 47.97

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-30.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.02 MYR 20.49

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-20.06%

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

$163 MYR 665

$770 COP 2.4M

-78.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-50.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 MYR 223

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-36.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.80 MYR 68.5

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-70.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 MYR 336

$137 COP 432.9K

-39.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 MYR 399

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$192 MYR 784

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-81.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 MYR 4,861

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-70.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$804 MYR 3,280

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-52.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$411 MYR 1,677

$652 COP 2.1M

-36.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

10.94

-62.89%

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

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malacca

$261 42.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 12.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Malacca

$113 18.5%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 50.3% $57

Eating Out

Malacca

$95 15.6%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 76.4% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malacca

$91 14.9%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 135% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Malacca

$32 5.3%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 79.6% $26

Getting Around

Malacca

$19 3.1%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 397% $75

Accommodation & Living

Malacca

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $192 in Malacca 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 59% higher in Medellin, 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 $19.00 in Malacca versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $261 vs $295 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Malacca

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

13 h behind Malacca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Malacca Medellin 19,040 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Malacca
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

Malacca vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $612 in Malacca, $1,614 in Medellin – roughly 164% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $918 per month in Malacca 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 Malacca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Malacca and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $612 in Malacca and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 164%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin 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 $612 in Malacca to $1,614 in Medellin. 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 Malacca. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.