Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manado and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $562 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Manado
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Manado Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Manado

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$562

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $562 per month in Manado vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Manado $562
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $888 per month in Manado vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Manado $888
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,214 per month in Manado vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Manado $1,214
Medellin $3,186

Manado is about 66% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Manado sits 59% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.42 Rp 25.7K

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-82.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.22 Rp 294.3K

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-65.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-70.53%

Cappuccino

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$3.01 COP 9,734

-43.52%

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

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

$1.80 COP 5,809

-66.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,569

$1.41 COP 4,560

-82.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.36 Rp 60.9K

$3.18 COP 10.3K

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 Rp 48.6K

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-53.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

$1.51 COP 4,875

-9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

$2.38 COP 7,677

-56.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.71 Rp 12.9K

$1.77 COP 5,719

-59.89%

Eggs

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

$2.89 COP 9,332

-35.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.53 Rp 300.0K

$10.19 COP 32.9K

62.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-72.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 Rp 115.9K

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-54.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-43.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 Rp 26.2K

$1.55 COP 5,011

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

$2.18 COP 7,047

-42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

$2.18 COP 7,050

-56.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.1K

$1.96 COP 6,336

-57.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 Rp 50.3K

$1.59 COP 5,131

74.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

$1.15 COP 3,698

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,775

$1.24 COP 4,014

-65.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 Rp 42.8K

$3.96 COP 12.8K

-40.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.63 Rp 374.3K

$13.68 COP 44.2K

50.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

$1.66 COP 5,359

9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 Rp 53.2K

$2.26 COP 7,290

29.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 Rp 5,630

$1.17 COP 3,770

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.15 Rp 220.5K

$77.4 COP 249.8K

-84.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 Rp 9,607

$1.27 COP 4,094

-58.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 Rp 5,698

$2.05 COP 6,611

-84.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-69.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 Rp 10.8K

$1.35 COP 4,348

-56.30%

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

$25.2K Rp 456.4M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

-26.17%

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

$31.3K Rp 568.8M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

-9.58%

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

$53.0 Rp 961.1K

$170 COP 547.7K

-68.78%

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

$4.44 Rp 80.5K

$13.55 COP 43.7K

-67.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.98 Rp 253.8K

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-50.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.65 Rp 229.6K

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-71.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.42 Rp 152.8K

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-51.02%

Cinema Ticket

$2.44 Rp 44.3K

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-64.69%

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

$124 Rp 2.3M

$797 COP 2.6M

-84.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,574 Rp 83.0M

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-49.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.9 Rp 995.9K

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-35.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.80 Rp 359.2K

$58.0 COP 187.1K

-65.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

$135 COP 435.7K

-49.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.3 Rp 1.1M

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-37.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 Rp 4.4M

$1,208 COP 3.9M

-79.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

$642 COP 2.1M

-87.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 Rp 5.4M

$2,028 COP 6.5M

-85.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 Rp 3.1M

$1,012 COP 3.3M

-83.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,138 Rp 20.6M

$4,170 COP 13.5M

-72.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$787 Rp 14.3M

$1,910 COP 6.2M

-58.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$212 Rp 3.9M

$657 COP 2.1M

-67.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

-8.59%

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

Last update for Manado: October 27, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manado

$219 39%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 35.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Manado

$92 16.3%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 84.3% $77

Accommodation & Living

Manado

$81 14.5%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 689% $560

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manado

$71 12.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 196% $140

Eating Out

Manado

$66 11.7%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 158% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Manado

$18 3.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 228% $40

Getting Around

Manado

$15 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 504% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Manado versus $1,208 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 in Medellin are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Manado versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $297 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Manado

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

00:14 12:14 AM

13 h behind Manado

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,257

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Manado Medellin 17,590 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Manado
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

Manado vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 192%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $843 per month in Manado and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Manado. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in Manado and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manado, where all-in costs run around $562, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Manado it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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