Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marikina and Medan

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $704 in Marikina, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index

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Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $704 per month in Marikina vs $613 in Medan, rent included.

Marikina $704
Medan $613

A couple spends around $1,094 per month in Marikina vs $940 in Medan, rent included.

Marikina $1,094
Medan $940

A family of three spends $1,484 per month in Marikina vs $1,266 in Medan, rent included.

Marikina $1,484
Medan $1,266

Marikina costs about 15% more than Medan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Marikina and Medan are more affordable than the global median – Marikina 48% lower, Medan 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ₱257

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

138.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.37 ₱2,038

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

290.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.17 ₱199

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

7.46%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ₱144

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

49.67%

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

$0.55 ₱34.81

$0.35 Rp 6,215

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱20.92

$0.25 Rp 4,534

32.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱63.7

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

-39.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₱149

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

-34.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱117

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ₱77.7

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

4.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.5

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

30.86%

Eggs

$2.08 ₱131

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

57.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 ₱466

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

-8.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ₱264

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

16.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.78 ₱427

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 ₱155

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

2.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ₱128

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

93.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

64.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 ₱145

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

147.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

183.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.48 ₱219

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

93.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$0.38 Rp 6,905

189.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ₱44.21

$0.44 Rp 7,872

59.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱184

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

2.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.73 ₱550

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

-44.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱62.0

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

-46.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ₱129

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

-31.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₱31.34

$0.27 Rp 4,816

85.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.04

$0.51 Rp 9,186

43.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.19 Rp 3,465

21.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.3

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

55.00%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

-12.12%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

-39.68%

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

$139 ₱8,744

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

63.70%

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

$16.19 ₱1,019

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

410.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.10 ₱1,769

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

19.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.73 ₱2,312

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

116.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

Cinema Ticket

$7.11 ₱448

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

116.11%

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

$131 ₱8,250

$112 Rp 2.0M

17.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,456 ₱469.4K

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

340.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 ₱3,774

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

10.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 ₱1,786

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

-26.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ₱4,745

$108 Rp 1.9M

-30.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,442

$111 Rp 2.0M

-50.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$180 ₱11.3K

$233 Rp 4.2M

-22.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.2 ₱4,986

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

-11.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.3K

$494 Rp 8.9M

-34.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₱9,110

$212 Rp 3.8M

-31.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 ₱71.4K

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

-2.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$481 ₱30.3K

$560 Rp 10.1M

-14.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$387 ₱24.3K

$215 Rp 3.9M

79.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

9.25

-27.03%

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

Last update for Marikina: 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

Marikina

$206 29.2%

Medan

$181 29.5% 12% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marikina

$183 26%

Medan

$112 18.2% 39.1% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Marikina

$98 14%

Medan

$140 22.9% 42.8% $42

Eating Out

Marikina

$83 11.8%

Medan

$59 9.6% 29.2% $24

Accommodation & Living

Marikina

$79 11.3%

Medan

$90 14.6% 13.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Marikina

$51 7.2%

Medan

$24 3.8% 53.8% $27

Getting Around

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6%

Medan

$8.5 1.4% 118% $4.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $180 in Marikina 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 80% higher in Marikina, 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 $32.00 in Marikina versus $8.00 in Medan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $181 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Marikina

🇮🇩 Medan

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

1 h behind Marikina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

456,059

2,097,610

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Marikina Medan 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Marikina
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

Marikina vs Medan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $704 in Marikina, $613 in Medan – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,056 per month in Marikina 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $704 in Marikina and $613 in Medan. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $131 per month in Marikina and $112 in Medan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $704 in Marikina and $613 in Medan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Medan – 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 Medan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Marikina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.