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

😐 Solo nomad: Tawau is 3.1% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 15.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Tawau is 0.2% cheaper than Medellin without rent, and 20.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.58 MYR 14.53

$5.97 COP 21.9K

-40.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.92 MYR 76.8

$32.40 COP 119.0K

-41.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.06 MYR 16.47

$7.13 COP 26.2K

-43.06%

Cappuccino

$2.31 MYR 9.37

$1.65 COP 6,043

40.00%

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

$0.74 MYR 3.00

$1.06 COP 3,882

-30.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 MYR 1.61

$0.77 COP 2,839

-48.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 MYR 9.82

$1.75 COP 6,418

38.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 MYR 13.74

$3.06 COP 11.2K

10.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 MYR 6.51

$1.10 COP 4,026

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 MYR 5.28

$1.30 COP 4,771

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 MYR 6.83

$1.34 COP 4,905

25.37%

Eggs

$2.06 MYR 8.38

$2.26 COP 8,299

-8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.03 MYR 61.0

$4.50 COP 16.5K

234.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 MYR 17.78

$5.80 COP 21.3K

-24.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.68 MYR 39.28

$8.96 COP 32.9K

8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 MYR 11.64

$2.37 COP 8,691

21.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 MYR 5.92

$1.07 COP 3,939

36.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 MYR 10.17

$1.48 COP 5,418

69.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 MYR 5.56

$1.36 COP 5,011

0.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 MYR 5.02

$1.13 COP 4,135

9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 MYR 5.14

$1.13 COP 4,161

12.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 MYR 4.23

$0.89 COP 3,274

16.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.30

$0.85 COP 3,114

-32.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 MYR 17.40

$2.28 COP 8,361

88.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 MYR 72.4

$10.15 COP 37.3K

75.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 MYR 11.25

$1.19 COP 4,359

132.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 MYR 11.78

$2.40 COP 8,828

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 MYR 2.84

$0.84 COP 3,074

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.94 MYR 48.47

$40.85 COP 150.0K

-70.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.85

$1.48 COP 5,417

-19.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 MYR 4.16

$1.89 COP 6,949

-46.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 MYR 23.30

$8.05 COP 29.5K

-28.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.50 MYR 2.03

$0.94 COP 3,455

-46.81%

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

$35.9K MYR 146.0K

$17.7K COP 65.1M

102.62%

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

$31.4K MYR 127.5K

$26.4K COP 96.8M

19.13%

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

$44.04 MYR 179

$81.9 COP 300.7K

-46.22%

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

$9.01 MYR 36.58

$9.54 COP 35.0K

-5.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 MYR 119

$23.68 COP 87.0K

23.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.38 MYR 152

$25.85 COP 94.9K

44.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 MYR 23.86

$18.72 COP 68.7K

-68.59%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 MYR 11.15

$4.05 COP 14.9K

-32.10%

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

$190 MYR 771

$316 COP 1.2M

-39.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,787 MYR 27.6K

$5,971 COP 21.9M

13.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 MYR 246

$59.0 COP 216.4K

2.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.72 MYR 113

$32.49 COP 119.3K

-14.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 MYR 299

$99.9 COP 366.7K

-26.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.8 MYR 206

$108 COP 394.9K

-52.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 MYR 1,589

$491 COP 1.8M

-20.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 MYR 1,085

$371 COP 1.4M

-27.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 MYR 2,658

$821 COP 3.0M

-20.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 MYR 1,942

$731 COP 2.7M

-34.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,706 MYR 6,928

$3,019 COP 11.1M

-43.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 MYR 3,031

$1,332 COP 4.9M

-43.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 COP 1.9M

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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