Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kulim

For one person, living is cheaper in Kulim: $891 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Kulim
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Kulim Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Kulim

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kulim

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $891 in Kulim, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Kulim $891

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,374 in Kulim, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Kulim $1,374

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,857 in Kulim, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Kulim $1,857

Medellin costs about 84% more than Kulim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Kulim is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.72 MYR 15.17

117.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$19.45 MYR 79.3

141.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.53 MYR 18.45

109.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.89 MYR 11.76

4.15%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.78 MYR 3.19

130.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.42 MYR 1.70

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-18.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.61 MYR 18.76

24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.96 MYR 7.97

-22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.23 MYR 5.00

93.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.30 MYR 5.29

36.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.23 MYR 9.07

29.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.68 MYR 51.7

-19.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.85 MYR 15.70

156.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.72 MYR 43.69

30.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.05 MYR 12.42

30.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.89 MYR 7.68

-17.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.55 MYR 10.37

-14.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.44 MYR 5.88

51.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.19 MYR 4.83

64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.36 MYR 5.54

16.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.08 MYR 4.41

6.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.53 MYR 2.15

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.47 MYR 18.22

-11.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$21.05 MYR 85.8

-35.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$3.07 MYR 12.49

-45.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.90 MYR 15.90

-42.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.75 MYR 3.06

56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$12.64 MYR 51.5

512.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.04 MYR 4.23

22.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.56 MYR 2.28

266.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$8.26 MYR 33.64

3.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.74 MYR 3.00

82.43%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$48.9K MYR 199.1K

-30.29%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$30.9K MYR 125.9K

12.16%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$45.19 MYR 184

275.41%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$8.70 MYR 35.44

55.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$25.83 MYR 105

8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$36.10 MYR 147

21.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$7.37 MYR 30.04

133.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.46 MYR 18.16

54.93%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$268 MYR 1,091

197.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$7,096 MYR 28.9K

28.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$62.2 MYR 253

36.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$30.78 MYR 125

88.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$77.2 MYR 314

74.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$70.8 MYR 289

38.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$419 MYR 1,707

188.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$265 MYR 1,079

142.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$763 MYR 3,110

165.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$497 MYR 2,026

103.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,141 MYR 8,723

94.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,272 MYR 5,184

50.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.06

169.46%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kulim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Kulim

$265 29.7% 58.7% $377

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Kulim

$262 29.4% 11.9% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Kulim

$80 9% 62.3% $132

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Kulim

$112 12.5% 34.2% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Kulim

$108 12.2% 35.8% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Kulim

$19 2.2% 79.2% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Kulim

$45 5.1% 21.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $419 in Kulim. 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 Kulim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $262 – making Kulim the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Kulim

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

20:10 8:10 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

319,056

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 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 Kulim 18,650 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kulim

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 Kulim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin costs about 84% more than Kulim, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,336 in Kulim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kulim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $19 in Kulim. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $891 in Kulim. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Kulim is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 84% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.