Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Malacca

For one person, living is cheaper in Malacca: $612 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Malacca
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Malacca Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Malacca

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Malacca

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $612 in Malacca, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Malacca $612

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $977 in Malacca, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Malacca $977

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,343 in Malacca, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Malacca $1,343

Medellin costs about 164% more than Malacca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Malacca is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$3.27 MYR 13.36

142.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$18.71 MYR 76.3

146.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$4.80 MYR 19.60

97.92%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.83 MYR 11.56

9.89%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.77 MYR 3.15

137.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.54 MYR 2.21

155.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.93 MYR 7.87

58.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$2.97 MYR 12.10

85.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.72 MYR 7.03

-15.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.11 MYR 4.52

112.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.42 MYR 5.78

18.31%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.72 MYR 7.02

66.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$18.49 MYR 75.4

-44.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.59 MYR 18.73

107.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$10.83 MYR 44.18

29.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$3.26 MYR 13.29

24.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.76 MYR 7.18

-14.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$2.38 MYR 9.72

-8.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.64 MYR 6.69

40.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.47 MYR 5.99

31.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.74 MYR 7.09

-5.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$1.37 MYR 5.61

-17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.55 MYR 2.23

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$4.19 MYR 17.11

-4.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$13.92 MYR 56.8

-4.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$2.17 MYR 8.84

-21.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.11 MYR 12.67

-23.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.47 MYR 1.92

157.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$12.40 MYR 50.6

516.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.00 MYR 4.09

32.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.70 MYR 2.85

205.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$12.03 MYR 49.08

-29.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.51 MYR 2.10

154.90%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$41.7K MYR 170.3K

-32.95%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$34.9K MYR 142.4K

1.48%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$51.7 MYR 211

232.86%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$11.20 MYR 45.69

19.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$28.12 MYR 115

2.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$22.13 MYR 90.3

104.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$11.76 MYR 47.97

44.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.02 MYR 20.49

25.10%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$163 MYR 665

372.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$4,501 MYR 18.4K

100.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$54.7 MYR 223

57.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$16.80 MYR 68.5

240.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$82.3 MYR 336

65.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$97.7 MYR 399

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$192 MYR 784

448.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,191 MYR 4,861

240.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$804 MYR 3,280

108.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$411 MYR 1,677

58.70%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Malacca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Malacca

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Malacca

$261 42.7% 11.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Malacca

$91 14.9% 57.5% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Malacca

$113 18.5% 33.5% $57

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Malacca

$95 15.6% 43.3% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Malacca

$19 3.1% 79.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Malacca

$32 5.3% 44.3% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $192 in Malacca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 59% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $19.00 in Malacca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $261 – making Malacca the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Malacca

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

06:36 6:36 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

579,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Malacca 19,040 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Malacca

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 Malacca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,614 in Medellin, $612 in Malacca – roughly 164% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $918 in Malacca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Malacca, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $19.00 in Malacca. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $612 in Malacca. That's a gap of about 164%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malacca, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Malacca it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $612 in Malacca to $1,614 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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