Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alor Setar

For one person, living is cheaper in Alor Setar: $868 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alor Setar
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Alor Setar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Alor Setar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alor Setar

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Alor Setar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $868 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Alor Setar $868

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,310 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Alor Setar $1,310

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,752 in Alor Setar, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Alor Setar $1,752

Medellin costs about 89% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Alor Setar is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.06 MYR 8.34

292.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$12.28 MYR 49.79

283.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.09 MYR 16.57

132.27%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.92 MYR 7.80

56.77%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.54 MYR 2.17

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.30 MYR 1.23

370.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.10 MYR 16.62

-22.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.52 MYR 18.33

27.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.61 MYR 6.53

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.85 MYR 3.46

180.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.75 MYR 7.08

1.14%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.53 MYR 6.19

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.63 MYR 55.2

-25.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.32 MYR 17.53

128.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$8.47 MYR 34.34

65.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.07 MYR 12.43

29.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.19 MYR 4.82

30.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.60 MYR 10.56

-16.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.47 MYR 5.95

48.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.06 MYR 4.30

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.08 MYR 4.36

47.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.09 MYR 4.43

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.57 MYR 2.32

117.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.45 MYR 18.04

-11.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$18.90 MYR 76.6

-27.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.98 MYR 12.09

-44.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$5.18 MYR 21.01

-56.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.70 MYR 2.83

67.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$12.69 MYR 51.4

509.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.73 MYR 6.99

-26.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.41 MYR 1.66

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.38 MYR 29.94

15.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.49 MYR 1.98

175.51%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$45.3K MYR 183.6K

-24.77%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$35.8K MYR 145.3K

-3.28%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$37.81 MYR 153

348.69%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$7.47 MYR 30.29

81.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$21.90 MYR 88.8

28.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$37.64 MYR 153

16.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$6.37 MYR 25.82

169.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.83 MYR 19.58

43.06%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$396 MYR 1,607

101.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

-14.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$59.6 MYR 242

42.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$35.76 MYR 145

62.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$81.7 MYR 331

65.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$68.9 MYR 279

42.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$421 MYR 1,705

187.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$294 MYR 1,191

118.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$653 MYR 2,647

210.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$532 MYR 2,156

90.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,256 MYR 9,146

84.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,157 MYR 4,689

65.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,600 MYR 6,486

-58.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.04

170.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alor Setar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Alor Setar

$294 33.8% 54.2% $348

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Alor Setar

$245 28.3% 17.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Alor Setar

$67 7.7% 68.2% $144

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Alor Setar

$85 9.8% 50.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Alor Setar

$111 12.8% 34.5% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Alor Setar

$19 2.2% 79.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Alor Setar

$47 5.5% 17.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $421 in Alor Setar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alor Setar are about 2.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $12 in Alor Setar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $245 – making Alor Setar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Alor Setar

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

12:05 12:05 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

423,868

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Alor Setar 18,570 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alor Setar

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

Medellin vs Alor Setar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 89% more than Alor Setar, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,303 in Alor Setar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alor Setar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $396 in Alor Setar. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $868 in Alor Setar. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Alor Setar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Alor Setar is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 47% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.