Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tawau

For one person, living is cheaper in Tawau: $920 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Tawau
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Tawau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Tawau

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tawau

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $920 in Tawau, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Tawau $920

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,420 in Tawau, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Tawau $1,420

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,921 in Tawau, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Tawau $1,921

Medellin costs about 84% more than Tawau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Tawau is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.26 MYR 13.20

155.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$20.02 MYR 81.0

132.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$4.20 MYR 16.97

125.48%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.19 MYR 12.91

-1.88%

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

$1.77 COP 5,705

$0.97 MYR 3.92

82.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,601

$0.35 MYR 1.42

305.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.63 MYR 10.65

19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$4.64 MYR 18.75

22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,950

$1.76 MYR 7.14

-13.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,401

$1.13 MYR 4.57

102.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,282

$1.49 MYR 6.03

30.20%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,905

$2.16 MYR 8.74

42.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$15.38 MYR 62.2

-35.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.49 MYR 18.15

132.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$9.43 MYR 38.14

48.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$2.87 MYR 11.59

41.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,937

$1.60 MYR 6.49

-4.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,797

$2.23 MYR 9.03

-5.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,409

$1.73 MYR 7.00

32.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,813

$1.40 MYR 5.68

50.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,521

$1.22 MYR 4.92

40.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,780

$1.19 MYR 4.81

-1.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,104

$0.51 MYR 2.08

209.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$4.51 MYR 18.24

-13.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$19.08 MYR 77.2

-26.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,690

$2.89 MYR 11.70

-39.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,760

$4.92 MYR 19.90

-44.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,811

$0.77 MYR 3.12

53.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$11.72 MYR 47.38

550.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,836

$1.25 MYR 5.06

44.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,878

$0.56 MYR 2.27

280.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$5.37 MYR 21.73

51.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,119

$0.81 MYR 3.29

58.02%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$45.3K MYR 183.0K

-23.89%

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

$34.1K COP 110.3M

$35.9K MYR 145.0K

-4.79%

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

$178 COP 574.1K

$50.6 MYR 205

251.38%

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

$13.89 COP 44.9K

$10.23 MYR 41.38

35.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$28.43 MYR 115

8.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.5K

$42.70 MYR 173

-1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

$6.07 MYR 24.56

176.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$3.63 MYR 14.68

105.79%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$240 MYR 971

228.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.5K MYR 42.5K

17.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.9K

$54.3 MYR 220

58.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$40.23 MYR 163

47.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.9K

$90.8 MYR 367

52.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.2K

$79.9 MYR 323

23.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$433 MYR 1,752

209.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$275 MYR 1,113

142.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$783 MYR 3,166

152.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$526 MYR 2,128

96.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,980 MYR 8,007

106.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,030 MYR 4,165

88.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$412 MYR 1,666

56.85%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tawau: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Tawau

$275 30% 58.7% $392

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Tawau

$262 28.5% 14.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Tawau

$89 9.7% 59.9% $133

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Tawau

$105 11.4% 39.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Tawau

$119 13% 30.7% $53

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Tawau

$19 2.1% 79.8% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Tawau

$50 5.4% 12.2% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $433 in Tawau. 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 57% 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 $20 in Tawau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $262 – making Tawau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇾 Tawau

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

15:51 3:51 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

420,806

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1 MYR = 0.247 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.04 MYR (1 MYR = 0.247 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 Tawau 18,120 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tawau

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 Tawau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,379 in Tawau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tawau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $433 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $20 in Tawau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $920 in Tawau. That makes Tawau about 46% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $920 in Tawau. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Tawau – 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 Tawau. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.