Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sentul

For one person, living is cheaper in Sentul: $869 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Sentul
Learn more

Sentul Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sentul

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sentul

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $869 in Sentul, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sentul $869

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,351 in Sentul, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sentul $1,351

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,833 in Sentul, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sentul $1,833

Medellin costs about 89% more than Sentul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sentul is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.58 MYR 14.59

125.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$22.02 MYR 89.7

113.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$4.75 MYR 19.34

100.00%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.93 MYR 11.94

2.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.82 MYR 3.35

119.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.51 MYR 2.09

176.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.27 MYR 13.33

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$5.82 MYR 23.71

-1.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.72 MYR 7.03

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.02 MYR 4.15

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.44 MYR 5.87

22.92%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.73 MYR 7.05

67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$9.77 MYR 39.80

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$3.35 MYR 13.66

194.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$9.69 MYR 39.47

44.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$3.30 MYR 13.46

20.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.67 MYR 6.82

-7.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.74 MYR 11.15

-20.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.60 MYR 6.52

36.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.42 MYR 5.78

38.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.68 MYR 6.83

-5.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.33 MYR 5.43

-13.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.54 MYR 2.20

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.33 MYR 17.66

-8.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$13.96 MYR 56.9

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$2.67 MYR 10.89

-37.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.04 MYR 12.38

-25.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.84 MYR 3.42

39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$12.36 MYR 50.4

525.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.02 MYR 4.15

24.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.38 MYR 1.56

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$8.91 MYR 36.30

-4.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.80 MYR 3.25

68.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$43.9K MYR 178.9K

-22.43%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$35.2K MYR 143.5K

-1.58%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$48.67 MYR 198

248.57%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$8.10 MYR 32.99

67.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$26.45 MYR 108

6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$38.55 MYR 157

13.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$7.36 MYR 30.00

133.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.86 MYR 19.79

42.18%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$234 MYR 953

240.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,527 MYR 18.4K

101.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$52.0 MYR 212

63.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$16.61 MYR 67.7

248.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.4 MYR 320

72.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$85.6 MYR 349

14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$426 MYR 1,736

183.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$275 MYR 1,122

133.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$825 MYR 3,362

145.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$528 MYR 2,152

91.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,029 MYR 8,269

105.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,176 MYR 4,792

62.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$872 MYR 3,552

-24.61%

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 Sentul: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sentul

$275 31.7% 57.1% $366

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sentul

$228 26.2% 23.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sentul

$83 9.6% 60.6% $128

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sentul

$111 12.8% 34.3% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sentul

$105 12.1% 38% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sentul

$19 2.2% 80.1% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sentul

$48 5.6% 16.1% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $426 in Sentul. 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 33% higher in Sentul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $22 in Sentul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $228 – making Sentul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Sentul

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

100,000

💱 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 = 0.22 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 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 = 4.54 MYR (1 MYR = 0.22 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sentul 18,920 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sentul

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 Sentul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 89%, 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 $1,304 in Sentul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sentul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Sentul. 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 $869 in Sentul. That’s a gap of about 89%.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $869 in Sentul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Sentul is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 89% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.