Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangalore and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $552 a month against $613 in Medan, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. The total is higher in Medan despite lower rent and utilities.

27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
Learn more

Medan Living Index

Jump to prices

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$552

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $552 in Bangalore versus $613 in Medan.

Bangalore $552
Medan $613

Estimated couple costs with rent: $936 in Bangalore versus $940 in Medan.

Bangalore $936
Medan $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,320 in Bangalore versus $1,266 in Medan.

Bangalore $1,320
Medan $1,266

Living in Bangalore costs roughly 10% less than in Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangalore 59% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.20 ₹304

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

87.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.72 ₹1,683

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

113.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 ₹451

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

60.68%

Cappuccino

$2.24 ₹213

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

46.41%

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

$0.38 ₹36.16

$0.35 Rp 6,215

8.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹11.88

$0.25 Rp 4,534

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₹217

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

37.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 ₹351

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 ₹60.1

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

-43.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₹55.6

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₹77.2

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

Eggs

$1.12 ₹106

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

-15.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.97 ₹567

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

-26.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.75 ₹356

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

4.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ₹266

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 ₹72.6

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-27.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 ₹112

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

-16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹36.11

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

-59.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 ₹35.71

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

-54.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.08

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

-80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.42 ₹40.06

$0.38 Rp 6,905

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₹30.82

$0.44 Rp 7,872

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ₹456

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

67.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.31 ₹884

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

-40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₹185

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ₹285

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-0.33%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.37 ₹605

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₹50.9

$0.27 Rp 4,816

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.55 ₹1,477

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

162.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ₹97.2

$0.51 Rp 9,186

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.63

$0.19 Rp 3,465

57.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ₹194

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₹105

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

37.50%

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

$12.5K ₹1.2M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-49.18%

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

$18.7K ₹1.8M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-41.87%

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

$30.94 ₹2,938

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

-63.53%

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

$4.10 ₹389

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

29.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.39 ₹987

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-55.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.87 ₹1,792

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₹550

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

-31.15%

Cinema Ticket

$4.82 ₹457

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

46.50%

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

$102 ₹9,658

$112 Rp 2.0M

-8.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,257 ₹309.3K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

92.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.54 ₹3,185

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

-38.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.76 ₹2,921

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.7 ₹5,002

$108 Rp 1.9M

-51.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.37 ₹3,834

$111 Rp 2.0M

-63.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 ₹29.1K

$233 Rp 4.2M

31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 ₹16.7K

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

96.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$782 ₹74.2K

$494 Rp 8.9M

58.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ₹45.8K

$212 Rp 3.8M

127.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,857 ₹176.3K

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

60.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,074 ₹102.0K

$560 Rp 10.1M

91.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$940 ₹89.2K

$215 Rp 3.9M

336.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.46

9.25

-8.54%

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

Last update for Bangalore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bangalore

$176 31.9%

Medan

$90 14.6% 49% $86

Groceries & Markets

Bangalore

$124 22.4%

Medan

$181 29.5% 46.3% $57

Eating Out

Bangalore

$88 15.9%

Medan

$59 9.6% 33% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Bangalore

$71 12.8%

Medan

$140 22.9% 98.1% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangalore

$45 8.2%

Medan

$112 18.2% 146% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Bangalore

$29 5.2%

Medan

$24 3.8% 17.4% $5

Getting Around

Bangalore

$20 3.7%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 58.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $307 in Bangalore and $233 in Medan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 337% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Bangalore vs $8.00 in Medan. Groceries flip the comparison at $124 vs $181, with Bangalore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

04:50 4:50 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Bangalore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,495,492

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bangalore Medan 2,540 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bangalore
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

Bangalore vs Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Medan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 337% higher in Bangalore, 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: $307 in Bangalore versus $233 in Medan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 162% less than in Medan. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $102 in Bangalore versus $112 in Medan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore 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 Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $552 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Medan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.