Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Tawau and Medellin

🙂 Solo nomad: Tawau is 12.4% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 16.9% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Tawau is 4.3% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 18.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.6 MYR 15.19

$6.23 COP 26K

-42.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.17 MYR 80.9

$32.34 COP 134.8K

-40.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.02 MYR 16.96

$7.39 COP 30.8K

-45.60%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.75

$1.72 COP 7,155

34.30%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.11

$1.1 COP 4,575

-32.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.65

$0.73 COP 3,060

-46.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 MYR 10.16

$1.66 COP 6,916

45.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 MYR 14.17

$3.2 COP 13.3K

5.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 MYR 6.56

$1.09 COP 4,552

43.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.3 MYR 5.49

$1.24 COP 5,188

4.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MYR 7.3

$1.33 COP 5,544

30.08%

Eggs

$2.05 MYR 8.63

$2.22 COP 9,252

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.13 MYR 63.8

$4.55 COP 19K

232.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 MYR 18.91

$5.71 COP 23.8K

-21.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 MYR 40.4

$8.59 COP 35.8K

11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 MYR 12.06

$2.26 COP 9,410

26.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 MYR 6.22

$1.07 COP 4,461

38.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.6 MYR 10.98

$1.51 COP 6,293

72.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 MYR 6.05

$1.42 COP 5,911

1.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 MYR 4.96

$1.11 COP 4,619

6.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 MYR 5.6

$1.18 COP 4,932

12.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.4

$0.89 COP 3,718

16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MYR 2.33

$0.84 COP 3,507

-34.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.3 MYR 18.13

$2.35 COP 9,809

82.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 MYR 60.9

$9.34 COP 38.9K

54.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 MYR 12.13

$1.18 COP 4,927

144.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 MYR 12.39

$2.49 COP 10.4K

18.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 MYR 2.85

$0.83 COP 3,464

-18.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.97 MYR 50.5

$41.9 COP 174.7K

-71.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 MYR 4.9

$1.41 COP 5,899

-17.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MYR 4.15

$1.96 COP 8,164

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 MYR 24.33

$7.85 COP 32.7K

-26.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.49 MYR 2.09

$1.02 COP 4,265

-51.96%

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

$35.7K MYR 150.5K

$17.6K COP 73.4M

102.83%

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

$31K MYR 130.6K

$26.2K COP 109.2M

18.18%

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

$43.49 MYR 183

$82.5 COP 344.1K

-47.30%

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

$9.16 MYR 38.65

$9.44 COP 39.4K

-2.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.84 MYR 122

$23.51 COP 98K

22.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.56 MYR 158

$25.68 COP 107.1K

46.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 MYR 24.99

$19.14 COP 79.8K

-69.02%

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 MYR 12.27

$3.96 COP 16.5K

-26.52%

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

$191 MYR 804

$305 COP 1.3M

-37.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,045 MYR 29.7K

$5,925 COP 24.7M

18.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 MYR 252

$57.9 COP 241.4K

3.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.2 MYR 115

$31.59 COP 131.7K

-13.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 MYR 307

$103 COP 430.1K

-29.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.5 MYR 213

$106 COP 440.5K

-52.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 MYR 1,633

$489 COP 2M

-20.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 MYR 1,123

$379 COP 1.6M

-29.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MYR 2,724

$827 COP 3.4M

-21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 2,015

$729 COP 3M

-34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,845 MYR 7,781

$2,190 COP 9.1M

-15.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 MYR 4,664

$1,532 COP 6.4M

-27.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$550 COP 2.3M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.07

13.43

-69.69%

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

Last update for Tawau: October 26, 2025

Last update for Medellin: October 28, 2025

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