Medellinvs
PenangMedellin vs Penang: cost, size & quality of life compared
Medellin (composite 5.5) vs Penang (composite 6.7). Side-by-side on cost of living, population & size, affordability, quality of life, remote-work friendliness and healthcare — with the calculation behind each score.
Composite scores
Overall: Penang wins by 1.2 points
Population & size
Is Medellin bigger than Penang?
Medellin is the bigger city: about 2.5M people versus Penang's 700k — roughly 3.6× larger.
City-proper / metro population estimates. Size is one input — scroll on for cost of living, salary equivalence and quality-of-life scoring.
Penang edges out Medellin on the Mundevo composite, 6.7 to 5.5 out of 10 — a decisive 1.2-point margin across safety, healthcare, air quality and cost.
A 1.2-point composite gap is large enough that the result holds across most reasonable axis re-weightings. Still worth scanning the per-axis breakdown if you have a non-default priority (e.g. air quality matters more to you than the default 25% weight).
Run the salary calculator for both cities at your target lifestyle before deciding — Penang winning on quality doesn't mean the gross-salary requirement also lands in your favor. If you're on a balanced tier, the cost-of-living pages for each city carry the full monthly basket and the gross-salary figure.
Data signals
What separates Medellin and Penang
How decisive
Penang comes out ahead by 1.2 composite points — a clear edge.
Biggest difference
The widest gap is healthcare, where Penang leads by 2.5 points.
Where they match
They're most evenly matched on remote-work friendliness — within 0.6 points of each other.
Overall cost gap
Total monthly costs in Penang run about 43% lower than in Medellin.
Where budgets split most
Housing is the line item that diverges most: roughly 56% cheaper in Penang than Medellin.
Score-by-score, side-by-side
Each axis is scored independently with disclosed weights and a calculation string.
| Axis | Medellin | Penang | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | 6.9 | 7.5 | Penang +0.6 |
| Quality of life | 5.4 | 6.2 | Penang +0.8 |
| Remote-work friendliness | 5.6 | 6.2 | Penang +0.6 |
| Healthcare | 4.2 | 6.7 | Penang +2.5 |
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)35
- Rent index (weight 40%)25
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Medellin: ((100 − 35)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 25)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 6.9.
Medellin is mid-range on absolute cost. Affordability is reasonable but not its main advantage.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)50
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)60
- Air quality index (weight 25%)50
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Medellin: (50/100 × 0.4 + 60/100 × 0.35 + 50/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.4.
Medellin has a mixed quality profile. Safety: fair; healthcare: good; air: fair. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)90 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)14.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)35
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Medellin: (min(90/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.14) × 0.3 + (100 − 35)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 5.6.
Medellin works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 90 Mbps, income tax 14%, cost index 35.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)60
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)250000
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Medellin: (60/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 250000/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 4.2.
Medellin has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is good, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~250000 COP/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Each axis is a weighted aggregate of underlying indicators normalized to a 0–10 scale. Weights are explicit and disclosed per axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes — axes are not collapsed further because the underlying trade-offs (e.g. low cost vs poor air quality) are user-dependent.
Affordability
- Cost-of-living index (weight 60%)35
- Rent index (weight 40%)11
How this is calculated
Affordability = ((100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − rentIndex)/100 × 0.4) × 10. For Penang: ((100 − 35)/100 × 0.6 + (100 − 11)/100 × 0.4) × 10 = 7.5.
Penang sits well below the New York baseline on both cost-of-living and rent. Budgets stretch further here than in benchmark Tier-1 cities.
Quality of life
- Safety index (weight 40%)55
- Healthcare index (weight 35%)68
- Air quality index (weight 25%)65
How this is calculated
QoL = (safety/100 × 0.4 + healthcare/100 × 0.35 + airQuality/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Penang: (55/100 × 0.4 + 68/100 × 0.35 + 65/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.2.
Penang has a mixed quality profile. Safety: good; healthcare: good; air: good. Weigh the weakest axis against your personal priorities.
Remote-work friendliness
- Internet (median Mbps) (weight 45%)120 Mbps
- Effective income tax (lower = better) (weight 30%)6.0%
- Cost-of-living (lower = better) (weight 25%)35
How this is calculated
RemoteWork = (min(Mbps/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − incomeTax) × 0.3 + (100 − costIndex)/100 × 0.25) × 10. For Penang: (min(120/300, 1) × 0.45 + (1 − 0.06) × 0.3 + (100 − 35)/100 × 0.25) × 10 = 6.2.
Penang works for remote work but isn't optimized for it: internet 120 Mbps, income tax 6%, cost index 35.
Healthcare
- Healthcare quality index (weight 70%)68
- Healthcare out-of-pocket / month (lower = better) (weight 30%)180
How this is calculated
Healthcare = (qualityIndex/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − OOP/500) × 0.3) × 10. For Penang: (68/100 × 0.7 + max(0, 1 − 180/500) × 0.3) × 10 = 6.7.
Penang has trade-offs in healthcare: quality is good, typical out-of-pocket cost is ~180 MYR/month. Cross-border insurance closes the gap.
Monthly cost delta: Medellin vs Penang
Normalized to COP at 1 MYR = 871.2871 COP.
| Category | Medellin | Penang | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| housing | COP 2,800,000 | MYR 1,400 | -56% |
| food | COP 1,100,000 | MYR 750 | -41% |
| transport | COP 130,000 | MYR 100 | -33% |
| utilities | COP 300,000 | MYR 220 | -36% |
| leisure | COP 800,000 | MYR 900 | -2% |
| healthcare | COP 250,000 | MYR 180 | -37% |
Where each city's money goes
Two cities can have the same monthly total but very different shapes — one might burn 50% on housing while the other splits more evenly. The composition matters as much as the headline.
The biggest shape difference is housing: Medellin spends 12.6 percentage points more of its budget on it (52% vs. 39%). If you're sensitive to that category, weight the per-axis scores accordingly.
Salary equivalence: Medellin ↔ Penang
What earning the same purchasing power costs in each city. Cost-adjusted using the local cost-of-living index (Medellin = 35, Penang = 35); currency-converted at 1 MYR = 871.2871 COP. Tax differences are not modeled.
| Medellin gross | Penang equivalent |
|---|---|
| COP 40,000 | MYR 46 |
| COP 75,000 | MYR 86 |
| COP 120,000 | MYR 138 |
| Penang gross | Medellin equivalent |
|---|---|
| MYR 40,000 | COP 34,851,485 |
| MYR 75,000 | COP 65,346,535 |
| MYR 120,000 | COP 104,554,455 |
Equivalence here means same cost-of-living purchasing power, not same net take-home. Effective tax rates differ between countries; a salary equivalent on cost can still net more or less depending on the destination's tax regime. Use the calculator for tax-adjusted figures at a specific lifestyle tier.
Pros and cons
Why pick Medellin
Medellin doesn't have any standout advantages of ≥0.3 points on the scoring model.
Why pick Penang
- Wins on affordability (+0.6 points vs Medellin).
- Wins on quality of life (+0.8 points vs Medellin).
- Wins on remote-work friendliness (+0.6 points vs Medellin).
- Wins on healthcare (+2.5 points vs Medellin).
Medellin trade-offs
- Trails Penang on affordability by 0.6 points.
- Trails Penang on quality of life by 0.8 points.
- Trails Penang on remote-work friendliness by 0.6 points.
- Trails Penang on healthcare by 2.5 points.
Penang trade-offs
No material trade-offs versus Medellin on the scored axes.
Who should choose which
The composite winner doesn't always match what matters to you. These four reader profiles weigh the axes differently — find the closest fit.
Single, salaried remote worker, 25-40, optimizing for runway + bandwidth.
Axes scored: affordability, remoteWork
Couple with school-age children, prioritizing safety, healthcare, and air quality.
Axes scored: qualityOfLife, healthcare
Fixed income, healthcare-sensitive, prefers low cost and stable infrastructure.
Axes scored: healthcare, qualityOfLife, affordability
Salary stretch matters most. Cuts everything else if it lowers the burn rate.
Axes scored: affordability
Profiles use simple axis averaging — for a deeper read with your own weights, use the per-axis breakdown above.
Going deeper
Visa landscape for both countries — and case studies that touch this corridor.
Tools that work for either choice
Some links below are affiliate links — if you sign up we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
How this page is calculated
Data sources
- Mundevo per-city dataset. Cost basket, rent index, safety, healthcare, air quality and median internet for both cities. Reference date: 2026-05-29 (Medellin) and 2026-06-10 (Penang).
- FX rate. 1 MYR = 871.2871 COP, used to normalize cost baskets.
- CityScoreCalculator. Four axes (Affordability, Quality of life, Remote work, Healthcare) computed with explicit weights and explanations. See per-axis calculation strings rendered on this page.
- ComparisonService. Per-category cost deltas (housing, food, transport, utilities, leisure, healthcare) normalized to the origin currency.
Update cadence
Data as of . Last reviewed .
Calculation
For each of the four axes we compute an independent 0–10 score using the formulas printed beside each axis. The composite is the unweighted mean of the four axes. The overall winner is the city with the higher composite, unless the margin is under 0.05 points — in which case Medellin is shown first as a tiebreaker to keep results stable.
Limitations
- Climate is not scored — we don't yet hold a maintained climate dataset, so weather-driven preferences are not modeled.
- Tax differences between cities in the same country are not modeled (Spain and Germany don't have material regional differences for this dataset).
- Indices are population-level. Personal cost varies with neighborhood, employer benefits and family status.
- Quality-of-life axis weights (safety 0.4 / healthcare 0.35 / air 0.25) are editorial defaults — readers with strong preferences should re-weight manually.
Frequently asked questions
Medellin vs Penang: which is cheaper?
Penang is roughly 43% cheaper than Medellin on the monthly cost basket (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare). Medellin has cost index 35 vs Penang at 35 (both with New York = 100).
Which city has better quality of life?
Medellin scores 5.5/10 on the Mundevo composite versus Penang at 6.7/10. The composite weights safety (40%), healthcare (35%) and air quality (25%). Penang wins overall by 1.2 points.
Is Medellin or Penang better for remote work?
Medellin has 90 Mbps median internet vs Penang at 120 Mbps. The four-axis decision rubric on this page (affordability, quality of life, remote work, healthcare) gives a per-dimension breakdown rather than a single answer.