Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Butterworth

For one person, living is cheaper in Butterworth: $913 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Butterworth
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Butterworth Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Butterworth

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Butterworth

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $913 in Butterworth, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Butterworth $913

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,408 in Butterworth, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Butterworth $1,408

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,902 in Butterworth, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Butterworth $1,902

Medellin costs about 79% more than Butterworth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Butterworth is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.72 MYR 15.16

117.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$19.36 MYR 78.8

143.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$4.77 MYR 19.43

99.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$2.89 MYR 11.76

4.15%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.73 MYR 2.96

146.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.36 MYR 1.48

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.12 MYR 16.78

-22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$4.38 MYR 17.82

31.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.12 MYR 8.61

-28.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.10 MYR 4.48

116.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.69 MYR 6.88

4.73%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.24 MYR 9.13

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.69 MYR 55.7

-25.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.49 MYR 18.26

119.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$8.64 MYR 35.18

61.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.06 MYR 12.47

29.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.71 MYR 6.95

-9.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.23 MYR 9.07

-2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.47 MYR 5.98

48.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.06 MYR 4.33

84.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.09 MYR 4.42

45.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.09 MYR 4.43

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.58 MYR 2.38

113.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.36 MYR 17.76

-9.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$19.00 MYR 77.3

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.93 MYR 11.91

-43.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$4.98 MYR 20.27

-54.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.70 MYR 2.84

67.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$10.85 MYR 44.18

613.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.19 MYR 4.83

6.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.38 MYR 1.53

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.85 MYR 19.72

76.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.89 MYR 3.61

51.69%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$43.5K MYR 177.0K

-21.65%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$35.5K MYR 144.4K

-2.25%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$36.81 MYR 150

360.88%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.61 MYR 35.03

57.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$26.45 MYR 108

6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$32.93 MYR 134

32.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$5.90 MYR 24.00

191.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.79 MYR 19.52

44.26%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$240 MYR 977

231.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.9K MYR 44.3K

-16.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$59.8 MYR 243

41.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$35.01 MYR 143

65.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$82.5 MYR 336

63.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$69.5 MYR 283

40.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$412 MYR 1,678

193.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$300 MYR 1,223

113.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$813 MYR 3,309

149.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$563 MYR 2,292

79.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,966 MYR 8,002

112.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,205 MYR 4,905

58.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Butterworth: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Butterworth

$300 32.9% 53.2% $341

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Butterworth

$258 28.3% 13% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Butterworth

$72 7.9% 66% $139

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Butterworth

$113 12.3% 33.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Butterworth

$111 12.2% 34.3% $58

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Butterworth

$17 1.8% 82.1% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Butterworth

$43 4.7% 26.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $412 in Butterworth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $19 in Butterworth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $258 – making Butterworth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Butterworth

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

00:00 12:00 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

339,132

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Butterworth 18,640 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Butterworth

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 Butterworth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $913 in Butterworth – Butterworth comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,370 in Butterworth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Butterworth, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $913 in Butterworth. That makes Butterworth about 44% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 86% less in Butterworth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Butterworth, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Butterworth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Butterworth is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.