Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Marikina

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.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medan and in Marikina

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 Marikina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Medan $613
Marikina $704

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

Medan $940
Marikina $1,094

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

Medan $1,266
Marikina $1,484

Medan is about 13% cheaper than Marikina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$4.07 ₱257

-57.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$32.37 ₱2,038

-74.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$3.17 ₱199

-6.94%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$2.29 ₱144

-33.19%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$0.55 ₱34.81

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$0.33 ₱20.92

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

$1.01 ₱63.7

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$2.36 ₱149

52.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$1.85 ₱117

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$1.23 ₱77.7

-4.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$1.06 ₱66.5

-23.58%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$2.08 ₱131

-36.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$7.39 ₱466

9.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$4.20 ₱264

-14.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$6.78 ₱427

-6.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$2.46 ₱155

-2.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$2.03 ₱128

-48.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$2.33 ₱146

-39.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$2.30 ₱145

-59.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$2.38 ₱150

-64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$3.48 ₱219

-48.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$1.10 ₱69.5

-65.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$0.70 ₱44.21

-37.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$2.93 ₱184

-2.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

$8.73 ₱550

80.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$0.98 ₱62.0

86.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

$2.05 ₱129

46.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$0.50 ₱31.34

-46.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$0.73 ₱46.04

-30.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$0.23 ₱14.53

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$1.24 ₱78.3

-35.48%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

13.80%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

65.78%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$139 ₱8,744

-38.91%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$16.19 ₱1,019

-80.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$28.10 ₱1,769

-16.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$36.73 ₱2,312

-53.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$7.11 ₱448

-53.73%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$131 ₱8,250

-14.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$7,456 ₱469.4K

-77.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$59.9 ₱3,774

-9.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$28.37 ₱1,786

35.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$75.4 ₱4,745

43.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$54.7 ₱3,442

102.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$180 ₱11.3K

29.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$79.2 ₱4,986

13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$322 ₱20.3K

53.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$145 ₱9,110

46.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$1,134 ₱71.4K

2.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$481 ₱30.3K

16.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$387 ₱24.3K

-44.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

6.75

37.04%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 13.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Marikina

$98 14% 29.9% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Marikina

$183 26% 64.2% $72

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 11.8% $11

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 41.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 117% $27

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 54.2% $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 $233 in Medan versus $180 in Marikina. 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 $8.00 in Medan versus $32.00 in Marikina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $206 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

03:07 3:07 AM

1 h ahead of Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

456,059

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medan Marikina 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Medan
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $920 per month in Medan and $1,056 in Marikina. 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 $613 in Medan and $704 in Marikina. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Medan and $131 in Marikina. 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 $613 in Medan and $704 in Marikina, 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.