Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batam and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $586 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$586

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $586 in Batam versus $1,639 in Medellin.

Batam $586
Medellin $1,639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $984 in Batam versus $2,413 in Medellin.

Batam $984
Medellin $2,413

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,382 in Batam versus $3,186 in Medellin.

Batam $1,382
Medellin $3,186

Living in Batam costs roughly 64% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Batam is 57% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-75.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.07 Rp 146.3K

$47.05 COP 151.7K

-82.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 Rp 70.7K

$9.50 COP 30.6K

-58.95%

Cappuccino

$2.05 Rp 37.1K

$3.01 COP 9,722

-31.89%

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

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

$1.80 COP 5,801

-66.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 Rp 5,449

$1.41 COP 4,554

-78.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 Rp 44.7K

$3.18 COP 10.2K

-22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Rp 66.4K

$5.75 COP 18.5K

-36.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Rp 20.3K

$1.51 COP 4,869

-25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

$2.38 COP 7,667

-54.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$1.77 COP 5,712

-54.24%

Eggs

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

$2.89 COP 9,320

-57.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 Rp 135.0K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

-26.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.47 Rp 44.8K

$9.87 COP 31.8K

-74.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.31 Rp 78.1K

$13.99 COP 45.1K

-69.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 Rp 39.2K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-45.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 Rp 36.2K

$1.55 COP 5,005

29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

$2.18 COP 7,039

-9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 Rp 18.7K

$2.18 COP 7,041

-52.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$1.96 COP 6,328

-51.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

$1.59 COP 5,125

23.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 Rp 23.4K

$1.15 COP 3,694

12.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 8,036

$1.24 COP 4,009

-64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 Rp 249.8K

$13.68 COP 44.1K

0.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 Rp 30.4K

$1.66 COP 5,352

1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 Rp 42.3K

$2.26 COP 7,281

3.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 Rp 7,419

$1.17 COP 3,766

-64.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 Rp 20.5K

$1.27 COP 4,089

-11.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 Rp 10.6K

$2.05 COP 6,603

-71.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Rp 62.0K

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-60.00%

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)

$27.6K Rp 499.6M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-19.07%

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

$24.6K Rp 445.8M

$34.7K COP 111.8M

-29.04%

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

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$170 COP 547.0K

-60.04%

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

$4.09 Rp 74.2K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-69.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 Rp 409.2K

$28.07 COP 90.5K

-19.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.03 Rp 489.9K

$43.70 COP 140.9K

-38.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.66 Rp 102.5K

$17.19 COP 55.4K

-67.07%

Cinema Ticket

$2.66 Rp 48.3K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-61.51%

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

$83.0 Rp 1.5M

$797 COP 2.6M

-89.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,186 Rp 57.7M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-65.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.46 Rp 570.0K

$84.7 COP 273.2K

-62.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.99 Rp 326.0K

$58.0 COP 186.9K

-68.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 Rp 1.2M

$135 COP 435.2K

-52.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.72 Rp 429.9K

$97.9 COP 315.6K

-75.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 Rp 4.8M

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-78.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 Rp 2.6M

$642 COP 2.1M

-77.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 Rp 14.4M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 Rp 9.0M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-50.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$542 Rp 9.8M

$4,170 COP 13.4M

-87.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$334 Rp 6.0M

$657 COP 2.1M

-49.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.17

10.94

20.38%

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

Last update for Batam: 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

Batam

$172 29.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 73% $125

Accommodation & Living

Batam

$145 24.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 342% $496

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batam

$94 16.1%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 124% $117

Eating Out

Batam

$75 12.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 126% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Batam

$62 10.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 173% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Batam

$32 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 77.8% $25

Getting Around

Batam

$5.7 * 1%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 1544% $88

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $265 in Batam and $1,208 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 97% 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: $8 in Batam vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $297 per month, with Batam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Batam

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

22:18 10:18 PM

10:18 10:18 AM

12 h behind Batam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,396

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

Batam Medellin 19,190 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Batam
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

Batam vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Batam is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Batam. 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: $265 in Batam versus $1,208 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $586 per month in Batam versus $1,639 in Medellin – Batam is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $586 in Batam versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Batam but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Batam the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Batam wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.