Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Medan

For one person, living costs are similar in Bandung and in Medan: $632 and $613 a month, rent and utilities included.

31

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$632

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung and in Medan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $632 in Bandung versus $613 in Medan.

Bandung $632
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $933 in Bandung versus $940 in Medan.

Bandung $933
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,234 in Bandung versus $1,266 in Medan.

Bandung $1,234
Medan $1,266

Living in Bandung is roughly 3% more expensive than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bandung 53% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

-19.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.75 Rp 247.6K

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

65.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.37 Rp 60.7K

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

14.24%

Cappuccino

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

-2.61%

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

$0.44 Rp 7,830

$0.35 Rp 6,215

25.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,948

$0.25 Rp 4,534

-12.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

86.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 Rp 56.3K

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-12.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 Rp 19.4K

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

-2.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-16.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

Eggs

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

12.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 Rp 133.0K

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

-8.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.93 Rp 52.7K

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-18.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

21.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.1K

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

-9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 Rp 19.8K

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

8.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 Rp 16.9K

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

1.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

29.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 Rp 11.6K

$0.38 Rp 6,905

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,248

$0.44 Rp 7,872

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.66 Rp 47.8K

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

-7.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.19 Rp 399.5K

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

41.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

4.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 58.4K

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

7.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,821

$0.27 Rp 4,816

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.51 Rp 171.1K

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

60.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 Rp 14.8K

$0.51 Rp 9,186

60.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 Rp 10.0K

$0.19 Rp 3,465

194.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 Rp 16.4K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

13.75%

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

$21.4K Rp 385.3M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-13.24%

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

$29.1K Rp 523.9M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-9.66%

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

$34.14 Rp 614.6K

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

-59.76%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.0K

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

33.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.25 Rp 346.4K

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-18.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.42 Rp 331.5K

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

8.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.03 Rp 108.6K

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

-28.30%

Cinema Ticket

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

-16.41%

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

$92.5 Rp 1.7M

$112 Rp 2.0M

-17.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,335 Rp 150.0M

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

392.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.16 Rp 704.9K

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-27.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 Rp 576.3K

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-16.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 Rp 1.4M

$108 Rp 1.9M

-28.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.7 Rp 1.3M

$111 Rp 2.0M

-35.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 Rp 3.9M

$233 Rp 4.2M

-8.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 Rp 3.2M

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

101.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 Rp 6.8M

$494 Rp 8.9M

-23.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 Rp 4.7M

$212 Rp 3.8M

24.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$723 Rp 13.0M

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

-37.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$304 Rp 5.5M

$560 Rp 10.1M

-45.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$281 Rp 5.1M

$215 Rp 3.9M

30.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

9.25

23.03%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$193 30.6%

Medan

$181 29.5% 6.3% $12

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$180 28.6%

Medan

$90 14.6% 50.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$99 15.7%

Medan

$140 22.9% 41.4% $41

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10%

Medan

$59 9.6% 7.4% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$58 9.1%

Medan

$112 18.2% 93.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$24 3.8%

Medan

$24 3.8% 1.6% $0.4

Getting Around

Bandung

$14 2.2%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 40.3% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $214 in Bandung and $233 in Medan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bandung pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $14.00 in Bandung vs $8.00 in Medan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $181 per month, with Medan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

Same time as Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandung Medan 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
Medan

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

Bandung vs Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medan wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Bandung. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Medan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Bandung, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $214 in Bandung versus $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Bandung. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Medan – a meal for two runs $8.00 versus $14.00 in Bandung. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Medan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Medan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $613 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Medan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bandung and Medan are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Medan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Bandung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.