Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $623 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandung 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 Bandung and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $623 in Bandung versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Bandung $623
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $925 in Bandung versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Bandung $925
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,226 in Bandung versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Bandung $1,226
Medellin $3,186

Living in Bandung costs roughly 62% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bandung is 54% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.70 Rp 248.3K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-70.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.22 Rp 58.3K

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-66.11%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

$3.01 COP 9,722

-50.83%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,756

$1.80 COP 5,801

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,982

$1.41 COP 4,554

-84.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 Rp 56.2K

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 Rp 56.2K

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-46.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.51 COP 4,869

-26.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 Rp 17.5K

$2.38 COP 7,667

-59.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

$1.77 COP 5,712

-51.41%

Eggs

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

$2.89 COP 9,320

-51.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.94 Rp 125.7K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-31.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-70.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.93 Rp 143.6K

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-43.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Rp 40.2K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-44.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.55 COP 5,005

-32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

$2.18 COP 7,039

-33.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$2.18 COP 7,041

-59.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

$1.96 COP 6,328

-44.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 Rp 35.1K

$1.59 COP 5,125

22.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

$1.15 COP 3,694

-44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,792

$1.24 COP 4,009

-65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-35.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.37 Rp 405.4K

$13.68 COP 44.1K

63.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$1.66 COP 5,352

13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 Rp 57.2K

$2.26 COP 7,281

39.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,849

$1.17 COP 3,766

-76.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 Rp 227.7K

$77.4 COP 249.5K

-83.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

$1.27 COP 4,089

-33.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 Rp 9,707

$2.05 COP 6,603

-73.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-72.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$1.35 COP 4,343

-37.78%

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

$20.8K Rp 376.1M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-39.07%

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

$32.2K Rp 584.0M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-7.04%

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

$33.56 Rp 608.0K

$170 COP 547.0K

-80.22%

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

$4.22 Rp 76.5K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-68.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.17 Rp 347.4K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-31.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 Rp 296.3K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-62.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 Rp 107.3K

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-65.56%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 Rp 51.2K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-59.04%

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

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

$797 COP 2.6M

-88.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 Rp 149.3M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-9.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.89 Rp 704.6K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-54.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.30 Rp 567.1K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-46.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

$135 COP 435.2K

-44.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-29.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$208 Rp 3.8M

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-82.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$642 COP 2.1M

-72.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$372 Rp 6.7M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-81.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$264 Rp 4.8M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-73.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$706 Rp 12.8M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-83.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$298 Rp 5.4M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-84.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 Rp 5.0M

$657 COP 2.1M

-57.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

10.94

4.02%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$192 30.8%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 54.6% $105

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$176 28.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 266% $466

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$96 15.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 75.3% $73

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 170% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 271% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$22 3.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 162% $36

Getting Around

Bandung

$17 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 445% $76

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $208 in Bandung and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.4 times 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 in Bandung vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $297 per month, with Bandung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:09 9:09 PM

09:09 9:09 AM

12 h behind Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandung Medellin 19,650 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
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

Bandung vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 58% lower in Bandung. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $208 in Bandung versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $623 in Bandung versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Bandung but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bandung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value at $623 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.