Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malang and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Malang: $474 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Malang
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Malang Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Malang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$474

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $474 per month in Malang vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Malang $474
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $729 per month in Malang vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Malang $729
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $984 per month in Malang vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Malang $984
Medellin $3,190

Malang is about 71% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Malang sits 65% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.11 Rp 19.9K

$7.93 COP 25.1K

-86.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.07 Rp 199.2K

$46.13 COP 146.2K

-76.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-70.95%

Cappuccino

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

$3.11 COP 9,860

-56.91%

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

$0.60 Rp 10.8K

$1.83 COP 5,796

-67.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 Rp 4,146

$1.38 COP 4,357

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

$3.05 COP 9,666

-25.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 Rp 76.6K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-22.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$1.45 COP 4,597

-31.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 Rp 20.2K

$2.36 COP 7,491

-52.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

$1.68 COP 5,325

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

$2.86 COP 9,072

-56.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.89 Rp 106.0K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-42.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-67.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 Rp 129.7K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-48.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-50.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.50 COP 4,739

-15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Rp 28.4K

$2.17 COP 6,887

-27.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

$2.31 COP 7,305

-38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$1.93 COP 6,110

-32.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 Rp 34.6K

$1.64 COP 5,193

17.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 Rp 8,439

$1.13 COP 3,568

-58.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 Rp 7,580

$1.25 COP 3,952

-66.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-33.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 Rp 224.5K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 Rp 30.1K

$1.70 COP 5,380

-1.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 Rp 53.9K

$2.37 COP 7,520

26.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 Rp 10.7K

$1.21 COP 3,825

-50.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.61 Rp 100.9K

$76.5 COP 242.4K

-92.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 Rp 8,631

$1.32 COP 4,177

-63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,244

$2.14 COP 6,770

-81.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 Rp 98.1K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-35.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

$1.30 COP 4,112

-43.08%

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

$24.9K Rp 448.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-10.89%

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

$27.7K Rp 498.8M

$35.4K COP 112.2M

-21.75%

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

$30.83 Rp 555.0K

$172 COP 545.3K

-82.08%

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

$2.41 Rp 43.3K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-81.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.51 Rp 351.1K

$28.73 COP 91.0K

-32.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

$45.24 COP 143.4K

-67.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.47 Rp 80.5K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-73.77%

Cinema Ticket

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-69.43%

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

$30.88 Rp 555.9K

$770 COP 2.4M

-95.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,452 Rp 170.1M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

4.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

$86.4 COP 273.8K

-34.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 Rp 403.4K

$57.1 COP 181.0K

-60.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 Rp 934.9K

$137 COP 432.6K

-61.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.74 Rp 643.3K

$97.9 COP 310.2K

-63.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-87.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.5 Rp 1.6M

$616 COP 2.0M

-85.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$193 Rp 3.5M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-89.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 Rp 2.8M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-84.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 Rp 3.7M

$652 COP 2.1M

-68.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-63.44%

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

Last update for Malang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malang

$169 35.7%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 74% $125

Accommodation & Living

Malang

$92 19.3%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 573% $524

Clothing & Footwear

Malang

$75 15.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 127% $95

Eating Out

Malang

$56 11.9%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 198% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malang

$53 11.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 306% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Malang

$19 3.9%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 212% $39

Getting Around

Malang

$10 2.2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 791% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Malang versus $1,055 in Medellin. 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 221% higher in Medellin, 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 $11.00 in Malang versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $295 – making Malang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Malang

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

03:11 3:11 AM

15:11 3:11 PM

12 h behind Malang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

857,891

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,188 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.95 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 3,169 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,554 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Malang Medellin 19,090 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Malang
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

Malang vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 241%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $711 per month in Malang and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1263% less in Malang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $30.88 per month in Malang and $770 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Malang, where all-in costs run around $474, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Malang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Malang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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