Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Lumut, Perak

For one person, living is cheaper in Lumut, Perak: $988 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Lumut, Perak
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Lumut, Perak Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Lumut, Perak

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Lumut, Perak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $988 in Lumut, Perak.

Medellin $1,639
Lumut, Perak $988

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,498 in Lumut, Perak.

Medellin $2,413
Lumut, Perak $1,498

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,008 in Lumut, Perak.

Medellin $3,186
Lumut, Perak $2,008

Living in Medellin is roughly 66% more expensive than in Lumut, Perak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Lumut, Perak is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.65 MYR 14.85

121.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$12.00 MYR 48.89

292.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.91 MYR 20.02

93.48%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.95 MYR 12.01

2.03%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.77 MYR 3.13

133.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.38 MYR 1.55

271.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$3.75 MYR 15.26

-15.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$6.23 MYR 25.36

-7.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$2.06 MYR 8.38

-26.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$1.07 MYR 4.34

122.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.92 MYR 7.82

-7.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.41 MYR 9.81

19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$13.84 MYR 56.4

-26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.53 MYR 18.46

117.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$9.83 MYR 40.06

42.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$3.32 MYR 13.52

19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.85 MYR 7.52

-16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$2.23 MYR 9.08

-2.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.57 MYR 6.38

38.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.27 MYR 5.18

54.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$1.38 MYR 5.60

15.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$1.16 MYR 4.73

-0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.71 MYR 2.89

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.28 MYR 17.44

-7.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$19.87 MYR 81.0

-31.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$3.47 MYR 14.12

-52.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$5.04 MYR 20.52

-55.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.73 MYR 2.96

60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$12.54 MYR 51.1

516.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.23 MYR 5.02

3.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$1.26 MYR 5.12

62.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$4.86 MYR 19.78

75.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$0.87 MYR 3.55

55.17%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$43.7K MYR 178.2K

-22.11%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$34.7K MYR 141.5K

-0.15%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$62.5 MYR 255

171.27%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$8.99 MYR 36.62

50.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$25.83 MYR 105

8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$41.64 MYR 170

4.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$6.57 MYR 26.78

161.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.81 MYR 19.61

43.66%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$242 MYR 987

228.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$13.3K MYR 54.3K

-31.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$72.0 MYR 293

17.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$42.00 MYR 171

38.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$85.3 MYR 347

58.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$96.4 MYR 393

1.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$415 MYR 1,691

190.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$295 MYR 1,201

117.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$722 MYR 2,941

180.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$563 MYR 2,292

79.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,757 MYR 7,159

137.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,304 MYR 5,314

46.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$375 MYR 1,527

75.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.17

162.35%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lumut, Perak: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Lumut, Perak

$295 29.9% 54% $347

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Lumut, Perak

$273 27.7% 7.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Lumut, Perak

$97 9.9% 53.9% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Lumut, Perak

$115 11.6% 32.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Lumut, Perak

$133 13.5% 21.2% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Lumut, Perak

$23 2.3% 75.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Lumut, Perak

$51 5.2% 10.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $415 in Lumut, Perak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 75% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $12 in Lumut, Perak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $273 per month, with Lumut, Perak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Lumut, Perak

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

39,595

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 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 Lumut, Perak 18,780 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Lumut, Perak

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 Lumut, Perak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lumut, Perak wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lumut, Perak the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 75% 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 $415 in Lumut, Perak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Lumut, Perak – a meal for two runs $12 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $988 in Lumut, Perak – Lumut, Perak is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Lumut, Perak 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 Lumut, Perak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.