Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kuala Belait

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kuala Belait

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,726 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kuala Belait $1,726

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,561 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kuala Belait $2,561

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,397 in Kuala Belait, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kuala Belait $3,397

Medellin is about 5% cheaper than Kuala Belait, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Medellin and Kuala Belait sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Kuala Belait by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$7.77 BND 9.92

4.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$47.28 BND 60.4

-0.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$7.74 BND 9.88

22.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 BND 2.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$4.46 BND 5.70

-32.51%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.88 BND 1.13

104.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.50 BND 0.64

182.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.82 BND 2.32

-17.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$2.51 BND 3.21

-5.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.30 BND 2.94

-23.04%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.70 BND 3.45

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$19.08 BND 24.37

-46.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$9.44 BND 12.06

4.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$24.33 BND 31.09

-42.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$4.83 BND 6.17

-17.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.17 BND 2.77

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$5.01 BND 6.40

-56.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.49 BND 3.18

-12.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.73 BND 2.21

13.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.91 BND 3.71

-45.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$5.51 BND 7.04

-79.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.86 BND 1.10

44.19%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.81 BND 15.08

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.91 BND 7.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$7.89 BND 10.07

-49.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$4.01 BND 5.12

-68.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$3.27 BND 4.18

-37.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$11.49 BND 14.67

-25.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.35 BND 0.45

285.71%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$31.8K BND 40.7K

7.05%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$26.9K BND 34.3K

29.02%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$39.60 BND 50.6

328.41%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$21.64 BND 27.64

-37.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$65.2 BND 83.2

-56.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$99.3 BND 127

-56.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$27.87 BND 35.60

-38.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.49 BND 7.01

25.87%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$217 BND 278

266.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$9,343 BND 11.9K

-2.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$76.2 BND 97.4

11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$101 BND 129

-42.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$155 BND 198

-12.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$71.1 BND 90.8

37.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$730 BND 933

65.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$789 BND 1,008

-18.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$1,167 BND 1,491

73.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$1,169 BND 1,493

-13.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,379 BND 4,317

-80.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.88

181.96%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kuala Belait

$789 45.7% 23% $148

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kuala Belait

$354 20.5% 19.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3% 40.2% $85

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kuala Belait

$144 8.4% 14.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kuala Belait

$181 10.5% 7.2% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kuala Belait

$20 * 1.2% 78.2% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4% 91.8% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $730 in Kuala Belait. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuala Belait are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $47 in Kuala Belait. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $354 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

07:36 7:36 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

31,178

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BND = 0.783 USD

1 BND = 0.701 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.783 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.701 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kuala Belait 18,390 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kuala Belait

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 Kuala Belait: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,726 in Kuala Belait – Medellin comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,589 in Kuala Belait. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuala Belait, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $730 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $217 in Kuala Belait. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,726 in Kuala Belait. That makes Medellin about 5% cheaper.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,726 in Kuala Belait, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,726 in Kuala Belait. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.