Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Selangor and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Selangor: $1,020 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Selangor
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Selangor Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Selangor

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Selangor and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Selangor and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Selangor vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Selangor $1,020
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $1,469 per month in Selangor vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Selangor $1,469
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,918 per month in Selangor vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Selangor $1,918
Medellin $3,190

Selangor is about 37% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Selangor sits 24% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.33 MYR 17.67

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-45.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.20 MYR 78.3

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-58.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.04 MYR 16.46

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-57.47%

Cappuccino

$2.26 MYR 9.23

$3.11 COP 9,866

-27.33%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.18

$1.83 COP 5,800

-57.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 MYR 1.93

$1.38 COP 4,360

-65.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.43 MYR 18.08

$3.05 COP 9,672

45.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 MYR 20.24

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-9.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 MYR 7.87

$1.45 COP 4,600

33.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 MYR 4.30

$2.36 COP 7,496

-55.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 MYR 6.25

$1.68 COP 5,328

-8.93%

Eggs

$1.92 MYR 7.82

$2.86 COP 9,077

-32.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 MYR 58.2

$10.19 COP 32.3K

39.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 MYR 17.78

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-54.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 MYR 39.16

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-31.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 MYR 14.04

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 MYR 7.52

$1.50 COP 4,742

22.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 MYR 9.55

$2.17 COP 6,891

7.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 MYR 6.49

$2.31 COP 7,310

-31.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 MYR 5.45

$1.93 COP 6,113

-30.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.21

$1.64 COP 5,196

-37.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 MYR 4.52

$1.13 COP 3,571

-1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.19

$1.25 COP 3,954

-56.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MYR 18.35

$3.99 COP 12.6K

12.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.53 MYR 79.7

$13.35 COP 42.3K

46.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 MYR 14.64

$1.70 COP 5,384

111.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.86 MYR 19.81

$2.37 COP 7,525

105.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.21 COP 3,827

-1.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.26 MYR 50.0

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-83.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 MYR 5.06

$1.32 COP 4,179

-6.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 MYR 5.10

$2.14 COP 6,774

-41.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MYR 17.72

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-48.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 MYR 2.99

$1.30 COP 4,114

-43.85%

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

$41.9K MYR 171.0K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

49.72%

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

$35.3K MYR 143.8K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-0.46%

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

$63.4 MYR 258

$172 COP 545.6K

-63.18%

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

$8.50 MYR 34.69

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-36.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.97 MYR 106

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-9.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.09 MYR 168

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.87 MYR 28.04

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-59.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 MYR 20.59

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-19.59%

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

$122 MYR 499

$770 COP 2.4M

-84.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,175 MYR 29.3K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-20.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 MYR 289

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-18.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.40 MYR 169

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-27.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 MYR 315

$137 COP 432.9K

-43.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.0 MYR 339

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-15.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 MYR 2,083

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-51.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 MYR 1,413

$616 COP 2.0M

-43.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 MYR 3,589

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-53.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 MYR 1,963

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-52.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,578 MYR 6,438

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-61.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$705 MYR 2,875

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-58.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,019 MYR 4,157

$652 COP 2.1M

56.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

10.94

-63.80%

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

Last update for Selangor: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Selangor

$346 34%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 77.8% $270

Groceries & Markets

Selangor

$266 26.1%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 10.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Selangor

$123 12%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 38.8% $48

Eating Out

Selangor

$111 10.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 51.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Selangor

$98 9.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 119% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Selangor

$51 5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 13% $6.6

Getting Around

Selangor

$25 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 281% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Selangor versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 56% higher in Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Selangor versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $295 – making Selangor the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Selangor

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

13 h behind Selangor

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

281,717

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

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).

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).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Selangor Medellin 18,890 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Selangor
Medellin

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

Selangor vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Selangor and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Selangor, 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 $19.00 in Selangor and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,020 in Selangor and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 58%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Selangor, where all-in costs run around $1,020, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Selangor it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Selangor. 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.