Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jakarta and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $795 in Jakarta, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
Learn more

Medan Living Index

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$795

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $795 per month in Jakarta vs $613 in Medan, rent included.

Jakarta $795
Medan $613

A couple spends around $1,295 per month in Jakarta vs $940 in Medan, rent included.

Jakarta $1,295
Medan $940

A family of three spends $1,794 per month in Jakarta vs $1,266 in Medan, rent included.

Jakarta $1,794
Medan $1,266

Jakarta costs about 30% more than Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jakarta and Medan are more affordable than the global median – Jakarta 41% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

60.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.90 Rp 304.2K

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

103.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

13.22%

Cappuccino

$1.99 Rp 35.9K

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

30.07%

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

$0.45 Rp 8,112

$0.35 Rp 6,215

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,704

$0.25 Rp 4,534

4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 Rp 46.5K

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

56.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 Rp 72.4K

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

11.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

-7.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

11.11%

Eggs

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

34.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 Rp 166.6K

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

14.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 Rp 56.2K

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-13.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.73 Rp 139.2K

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

17.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

25.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

83.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

47.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

59.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

18.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

$0.38 Rp 6,905

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,231

$0.44 Rp 7,872

15.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

-3.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.05 Rp 378.9K

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

33.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 Rp 37.6K

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

14.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 Rp 54.5K

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

0.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,247

$0.27 Rp 4,816

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.58 Rp 208.5K

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

95.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,581

$0.51 Rp 9,186

3.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 Rp 5,756

$0.19 Rp 3,465

68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 Rp 58.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

8.75%

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

$28.3K Rp 508.6M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

14.54%

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

$33.7K Rp 606.7M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

4.63%

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

$106 Rp 1.9M

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

25.02%

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

$6.00 Rp 107.9K

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

89.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.67 Rp 336.1K

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

-20.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.84 Rp 465.2K

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

52.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.54 Rp 261.7K

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

72.89%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.2K

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

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

$150 Rp 2.7M

$112 Rp 2.0M

34.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,322 Rp 149.8M

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

391.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 Rp 1.0M

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 Rp 508.5K

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-26.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.6 Rp 1.3M

$108 Rp 1.9M

-32.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 Rp 1.9M

$111 Rp 2.0M

-5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$233 Rp 4.2M

55.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 Rp 3.6M

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

123.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,139 Rp 20.5M

$494 Rp 8.9M

130.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 Rp 10.2M

$212 Rp 3.8M

166.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,985 Rp 53.7M

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

157.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,458 Rp 26.3M

$560 Rp 10.1M

160.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 Rp 8.1M

$215 Rp 3.9M

108.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

9.25

2.27%

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 11, 2026

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$218 27.5%

Medan

$181 29.5% 17.2% $38

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$200 25.2%

Medan

$90 14.6% 55.2% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$131 16.5%

Medan

$112 18.2% 14.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$118 14.9%

Medan

$140 22.9% 18.5% $22

Eating Out

Jakarta

$80 10%

Medan

$59 9.6% 26.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$32 4.1%

Medan

$24 3.8% 27.4% $8.9

Getting Around

Jakarta

$15 1.9%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 43.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $361 in Jakarta versus $233 in Medan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 109% higher in Jakarta, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Jakarta versus $8.00 in Medan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $181 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

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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Between locations

Jakarta Medan 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jakarta
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

Jakarta vs Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta costs about 30% more than Medan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,192 per month in Jakarta and $920 in Medan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $150 per month in Jakarta and $112 in Medan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Jakarta, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $795 in Jakarta and $613 in Medan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Medan costs $613 versus $795 in Jakarta. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Medan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jakarta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.