Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $852 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
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Bintulu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$852

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bintulu

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 Bintulu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $852 in Bintulu.

Medellin $1,692
Bintulu $852

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,331 in Bintulu.

Medellin $2,471
Bintulu $1,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,810 in Bintulu.

Medellin $3,249
Bintulu $1,810

Living in Medellin is roughly 99% more expensive than in Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Bintulu is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$4.02 MYR 16.34

107.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$18.75 MYR 76.2

148.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$5.74 MYR 23.30

64.98%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.89 MYR 11.76

8.30%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.68 MYR 2.77

160.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.38 MYR 1.53

273.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.99 MYR 12.13

5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$5.19 MYR 21.09

9.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$2.10 MYR 8.54

-27.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.43 MYR 5.80

60.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.32 MYR 5.37

46.97%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.21 MYR 8.96

38.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$17.39 MYR 70.6

-42.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$3.59 MYR 14.59

191.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$5.95 MYR 24.16

134.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.76 MYR 7.15

130.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.00 MYR 4.05

53.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.71 MYR 6.93

22.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.12 MYR 4.56

104.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.55 MYR 2.24

283.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.19 MYR 4.85

43.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.75 MYR 3.04

56.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.45 MYR 1.81

251.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.11 MYR 16.70

-4.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$19.47 MYR 79.1

-27.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$3.02 MYR 12.28

-41.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.00 MYR 8.12

35.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$1.26 MYR 5.13

-6.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$16.05 MYR 65.2

375.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.95 MYR 3.88

90.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.82 MYR 3.32

159.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$2.51 MYR 10.18

223.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.66 MYR 2.70

93.94%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$44.8K MYR 181.9K

-23.12%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$39.9K MYR 161.9K

-14.35%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$59.5 MYR 242

198.76%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$31.54 MYR 128

-55.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$30.82 MYR 125

-0.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$68.5 MYR 278

-38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$12.11 MYR 49.17

38.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.51 MYR 18.32

65.63%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$125 MYR 507

532.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,487 MYR 30.4K

64.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$65.4 MYR 266

31.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$35.43 MYR 144

67.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$78.3 MYR 318

76.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$92.1 MYR 374

7.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$224 MYR 909

498.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$156 MYR 634

327.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$474 MYR 1,927

316.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$335 MYR 1,361

208.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,775 MYR 7,211

130.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,172 MYR 4,760

65.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$613 MYR 2,489

5.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.5

143.11%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bintulu

$156 18.3% 76.6% $511

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bintulu

$235 27.6% 23.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 45.2% $101

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bintulu

$114 13.3% 34.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bintulu

$122 14.3% 29.1% $50

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bintulu

$26 3.1% 72% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bintulu

$78 9.1% 36.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $224 in Bintulu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $19 in Bintulu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $235 per month, with Bintulu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

20:54 8:54 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

240,172

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.22 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.55 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bintulu 18,590 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bintulu wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bintulu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Medellin, 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: $1,341 in Medellin versus $224 in Bintulu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,692 per month in Medellin versus $852 in Bintulu – Bintulu is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bintulu runs roughly 79% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bintulu is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bintulu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.