Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gombak

For one person, living is cheaper in Gombak: $904 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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 Gombak
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Gombak Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Gombak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gombak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $904 in Gombak.

Medellin $1,639
Gombak $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,437 in Gombak.

Medellin $2,413
Gombak $1,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,970 in Gombak.

Medellin $3,186
Gombak $1,970

Living in Medellin is roughly 81% more expensive than in Gombak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Gombak is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.60 MYR 14.59

124.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$24.44 MYR 99.1

92.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.02 MYR 20.37

89.24%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$2.96 MYR 12.01

1.69%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.91 MYR 3.71

97.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.45 MYR 1.81

213.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.28 MYR 13.29

-3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$5.76 MYR 23.35

-0.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.92 MYR 7.80

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.07 MYR 4.34

122.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.47 MYR 5.97

20.41%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.76 MYR 7.15

64.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.87 MYR 40.03

3.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.35 MYR 13.60

194.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.68 MYR 39.26

44.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.40 MYR 13.77

16.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.88 MYR 7.62

-17.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.63 MYR 10.67

-17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.81 MYR 7.32

20.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$2.08 MYR 8.45

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.96 MYR 7.95

-18.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$1.44 MYR 5.82

-20.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.52 MYR 2.10

138.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.48 MYR 18.16

-11.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$19.92 MYR 80.8

-31.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.68 MYR 10.86

-38.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$4.44 MYR 18.00

-49.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.82 MYR 3.33

42.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$12.38 MYR 50.2

524.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.20 MYR 4.86

5.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.36 MYR 1.44

469.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$9.10 MYR 36.87

-6.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.87 MYR 3.53

55.17%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$46.0K MYR 186.5K

-25.96%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$35.1K MYR 142.3K

-1.26%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$50.0 MYR 203

239.30%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$8.39 MYR 34.03

61.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$26.39 MYR 107

6.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$37.05 MYR 150

17.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$5.93 MYR 24.05

189.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.11 MYR 12.62

122.19%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$282 MYR 1,144

182.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.6K MYR 42.8K

-13.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$51.7 MYR 210

63.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$29.84 MYR 121

94.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$76.1 MYR 308

77.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$84.2 MYR 341

16.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$411 MYR 1,664

194.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$285 MYR 1,157

124.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$732 MYR 2,969

176.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$608 MYR 2,463

66.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,943 MYR 7,877

114.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,168 MYR 4,736

63.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$542 MYR 2,197

21.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.51

142.57%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gombak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Gombak

$285 31.6% 55.5% $356

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Gombak

$250 27.7% 15.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Gombak

$85 9.4% 59.9% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Gombak

$113 12.5% 33.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Gombak

$109 12% 35.6% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Gombak

$19 2.1% 80.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Gombak

$43 4.8% 24.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $411 in Gombak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 21% 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 $24 in Gombak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $250 per month, with Gombak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Gombak

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

41,699

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 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 = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.05 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 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 Gombak 18,920 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gombak

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 Gombak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gombak wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gombak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 21% 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: $1,208 in Medellin versus $411 in Gombak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Gombak – a meal for two runs $24 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gombak 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 Gombak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.