Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Labuan: $969 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$969

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Labuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $969 in Labuan.

Medellin $1,692
Labuan $969

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,507 in Labuan.

Medellin $2,471
Labuan $1,507

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,045 in Labuan.

Medellin $3,249
Labuan $2,045

Living in Medellin is roughly 75% more expensive than in Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Labuan is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$5.45 MYR 22.14

53.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$24.74 MYR 100

88.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.91 MYR 28.07

37.05%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$3.96 MYR 16.07

-20.96%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.07 MYR 4.33

65.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.41 MYR 1.67

246.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.82 MYR 15.53

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.63 MYR 18.79

23.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.77 MYR 7.18

-13.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.05 MYR 4.25

118.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.44 MYR 5.86

34.72%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.26 MYR 9.18

35.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$16.79 MYR 68.2

-40.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$4.54 MYR 18.42

130.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$9.39 MYR 38.14

48.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$3.28 MYR 13.31

23.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.67 MYR 6.80

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$2.52 MYR 10.23

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.58 MYR 6.41

44.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.21 MYR 4.93

74.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.38 MYR 5.58

23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-0.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.52 MYR 2.10

203.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.30 MYR 17.45

-9.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$19.07 MYR 77.5

-26.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$2.98 MYR 12.10

-40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$4.44 MYR 18.02

-38.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.70 MYR 2.84

68.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$12.19 MYR 49.50

525.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.20 MYR 4.88

50.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.58 MYR 2.34

267.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.38 MYR 29.96

10.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$0.77 MYR 3.15

66.23%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$44.4K MYR 180.4K

-22.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$35.9K MYR 145.8K

-4.93%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$48.90 MYR 199

263.46%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$9.66 MYR 39.24

43.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$28.73 MYR 117

7.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$37.51 MYR 152

11.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$6.74 MYR 27.36

149.26%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$4.39 MYR 17.82

70.16%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$241 MYR 979

227.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$6,912 MYR 28.1K

77.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$55.2 MYR 224

56.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$34.25 MYR 139

73.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$81.9 MYR 333

68.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$76.3 MYR 310

29.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$409 MYR 1,661

227.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$291 MYR 1,181

129.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$732 MYR 2,973

169.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$557 MYR 2,262

85.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,970 MYR 8,003

107.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,191 MYR 4,839

62.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$362 MYR 1,471

78.40%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Labuan: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Labuan

$291 30% 56.4% $376

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Labuan

$268 27.6% 12.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Labuan

$87 9% 60.7% $135

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Labuan

$146 15.1% 15.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Labuan

$111 11.5% 35.3% $61

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Labuan

$19 2% 79.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Labuan

$46 4.8% 18.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $409 in Labuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 78% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Labuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $268 per month, with Labuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

15:53 3:53 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

95,120

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1 MYR = 0.246 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,644 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.06 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Labuan 18,250 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Labuan is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 78% 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 $409 in Labuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $241 in Labuan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Labuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.