Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Muar

For one person, living is cheaper in Muar: $951 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Muar
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Muar Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Muar

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Muar

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $951 in Muar, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Muar $951

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,505 in Muar, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Muar $1,505

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,059 in Muar, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Muar $2,059

Medellin costs about 72% more than Muar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Muar is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$4.82 MYR 19.63

67.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$29.01 MYR 118

62.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.88 MYR 15.79

144.85%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$3.05 MYR 12.41

-1.31%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.76 MYR 3.11

136.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.46 MYR 1.87

206.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$4.44 MYR 18.06

-28.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$6.27 MYR 25.52

-8.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$2.13 MYR 8.68

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.07 MYR 4.35

122.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.85 MYR 7.55

-4.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.44 MYR 9.92

18.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$14.25 MYR 58.0

-28.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.44 MYR 18.09

122.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$9.95 MYR 40.50

40.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$3.36 MYR 13.69

18.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.85 MYR 7.51

-16.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$2.25 MYR 9.15

-3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$1.51 MYR 6.16

44.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$1.22 MYR 4.95

60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$1.37 MYR 5.57

16.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$1.16 MYR 4.72

-0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.71 MYR 2.90

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$4.45 MYR 18.11

-11.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$19.48 MYR 79.3

-29.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$3.48 MYR 14.18

-52.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$4.99 MYR 20.33

-54.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.64 MYR 2.62

82.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$10.62 MYR 43.24

628.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.19 MYR 4.83

6.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$1.25 MYR 5.07

64.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$4.87 MYR 19.84

75.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.81 MYR 3.30

66.67%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$44.4K MYR 180.8K

-23.32%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$34.9K MYR 141.9K

-0.55%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$62.0 MYR 253

173.50%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$8.88 MYR 36.16

52.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$26.21 MYR 107

7.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$37.02 MYR 151

18.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$5.79 MYR 23.55

196.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.85 MYR 19.74

42.47%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$240 MYR 976

232.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$13.3K MYR 54.2K

-31.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$72.2 MYR 294

17.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$41.83 MYR 170

38.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$84.3 MYR 343

60.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$96.3 MYR 392

1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$445 MYR 1,810

171.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$253 MYR 1,028

153.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$617 MYR 2,510

228.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$518 MYR 2,108

95.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$2,001 MYR 8,144

108.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,229 MYR 5,001

55.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$603 MYR 2,454

9.01%

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 Muar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Muar

$253 26.6% 60.6% $389

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Muar

$274 28.9% 7.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Muar

$97 10.2% 54% $114

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Muar

$126 13.3% 25.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Muar

$133 14% 21.5% $36

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Muar

$21 2.2% 78% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Muar

$47 4.9% 18.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $445 in Muar. 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 9% 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 $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Muar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $274 – making Muar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Muar

🕒 Local time

15:08 3:08 PM

04:08 4:08 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

314,776

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.246 USD). 1 EUR = 4.56 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Muar 19,070 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Muar

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 Muar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,426 in Muar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Muar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Muar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $951 in Muar. That makes Muar about 42% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Muar, where all-in costs run around $951, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Muar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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