Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Jakarta

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.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medan and in Jakarta

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medan and in Jakarta actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Medan $613
Jakarta $795

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

Medan $940
Jakarta $1,295

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

Medan $1,266
Jakarta $1,794

Medan is about 23% cheaper than Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

-37.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$16.90 Rp 304.2K

-50.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

-11.68%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$1.99 Rp 35.9K

-23.12%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$0.45 Rp 8,112

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.26 Rp 4,704

-3.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

$2.59 Rp 46.5K

-35.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$4.02 Rp 72.4K

-10.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

-21.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

-10.00%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

-25.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$9.26 Rp 166.6K

-12.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$3.12 Rp 56.2K

15.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$7.73 Rp 139.2K

-17.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

-14.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

-20.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

-45.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

-32.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

-37.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

-15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$0.51 Rp 9,231

-13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

3.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

$21.05 Rp 378.9K

-25.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$2.09 Rp 37.6K

-12.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

$3.03 Rp 54.5K

-0.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$0.29 Rp 5,247

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

$11.58 Rp 208.5K

-48.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.53 Rp 9,581

-3.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$0.32 Rp 5,756

-40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 Rp 58.8K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

-8.05%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$28.3K Rp 508.6M

-12.70%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$33.7K Rp 606.7M

-4.43%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$106 Rp 1.9M

-20.02%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$6.00 Rp 107.9K

-47.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$18.67 Rp 336.1K

26.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$25.84 Rp 465.2K

-34.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

$14.54 Rp 261.7K

-42.16%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$3.29 Rp 59.2K

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$150 Rp 2.7M

-25.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$8,322 Rp 149.8M

-79.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$57.7 Rp 1.0M

-5.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$28.25 Rp 508.5K

36.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$72.6 Rp 1.3M

48.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$105 Rp 1.9M

6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$361 Rp 6.5M

-35.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$200 Rp 3.6M

-55.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$1,139 Rp 20.5M

-56.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$564 Rp 10.2M

-62.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$2,985 Rp 53.7M

-61.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$1,458 Rp 26.3M

-61.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$449 Rp 8.1M

-52.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

9.46

-2.22%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jakarta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Jakarta

$218 27.5% 20.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Jakarta

$118 14.9% 15.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Jakarta

$131 16.5% 17.2% $19

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Jakarta

$200 25.2% 123% $111

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Jakarta

$80 10% 35.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Jakarta

$32 4.1% 37.8% $8.9

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Jakarta

$15 1.9% 75.7% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Medan versus $361 in Jakarta. 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 $8.00 in Medan versus $17.00 in Jakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $218 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

Same time as Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

11,337,563 Capital

💱 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

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

From you

Medan
Jakarta

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

Medan vs Jakarta: 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 $920 per month in Medan and $1,192 in Jakarta. 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 $112 per month in Medan and $150 in Jakarta. 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 $613 in Medan and $795 in Jakarta, 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.