Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balikpapan Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Balikpapan

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Medellin is 24.7% more expensive than Balikpapan without rent, and 30.5% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Medellin is 10.9% more expensive than Balikpapan without rent, and 35.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.03 COPĀ 22.8K
$1.50 RpĀ 25.5K
302.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.17 COPĀ 125.6K
$15.05 RpĀ 255.1K
120.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.29 COPĀ 27.6K
$3.47 RpĀ 58.9K
110.09%
Cappuccino
$1.63 COPĀ 6,170
$1.81 RpĀ 30.7K
-9.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 COPĀ 3,971
$0.40 RpĀ 6,840
162.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 COPĀ 2,916
$0.39 RpĀ 6,565
97.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 COPĀ 6,550
$1.97 RpĀ 33.4K
-12.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 COPĀ 12.0K
$2.98 RpĀ 50.6K
6.71%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 COPĀ 4,040
$1.80 RpĀ 30.6K
-40.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.31 COPĀ 4,965
$1.28 RpĀ 21.6K
2.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.38 COPĀ 5,227
$1.26 RpĀ 21.4K
9.52%
Eggs
$2.25 COPĀ 8,509
$2.71 RpĀ 46.0K
-16.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.48 COPĀ 17.0K
$8.14 RpĀ 137.9K
-44.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.74 COPĀ 21.7K
$5.01 RpĀ 84.8K
14.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.86 COPĀ 33.6K
$7.96 RpĀ 134.9K
11.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 COPĀ 8,490
$3.67 RpĀ 62.1K
-38.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 COPĀ 4,012
$1.49 RpĀ 25.3K
-28.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 COPĀ 5,732
$2.12 RpĀ 35.9K
-28.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.36 COPĀ 5,151
$1.20 RpĀ 20.3K
13.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 COPĀ 4,244
$1.79 RpĀ 30.3K
-37.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 COPĀ 4,427
$3.63 RpĀ 61.5K
-67.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 COPĀ 3,416
$1.00 RpĀ 17.0K
-10.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 COPĀ 3,169
$0.79 RpĀ 13.4K
6.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.26 COPĀ 8,553
$2.00 RpĀ 33.9K
13.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.97 COPĀ 37.8K
$21.73 RpĀ 368.1K
-54.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 COPĀ 4,479
$2.12 RpĀ 36.0K
-44.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 COPĀ 9,048
$4.43 RpĀ 75.0K
-46.05%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 COPĀ 3,253
$0.63 RpĀ 10.7K
36.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.45 COPĀ 156.9K
$9.79 RpĀ 165.9K
323.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.47 COPĀ 5,555
$1.20 RpĀ 20.3K
22.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.95 COPĀ 7,367
$0.35 RpĀ 5,900
457.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.76 COPĀ 29.4K
$5.97 RpĀ 101.1K
29.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 COPĀ 3,663
$0.80 RpĀ 13.5K
21.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.9K COPĀ 68.0M
$24.7K RpĀ 418.8M
-27.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K COPĀ 101.2M
$26.0K RpĀ 440.0M
2.90%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.1 COPĀ 307.1K
$93.2 RpĀ 1.6M
-13.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.40 COPĀ 35.6K
$3.05 RpĀ 51.7K
208.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.61 COPĀ 89.4K
$31.82 RpĀ 539.1K
-25.80%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.55 COPĀ 96.7K
$21.71 RpĀ 367.8K
17.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.29 COPĀ 73.0K
$6.19 RpĀ 104.9K
211.63%
Cinema Ticket
$4.10 COPĀ 15.5K
$3.12 RpĀ 52.9K
31.41%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$306 COPĀ 1.2M
$60.9 RpĀ 1.0M
403.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,899 COPĀ 22.3M
$7,494 RpĀ 127.0M
-21.28%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.8 COPĀ 226.5K
$41.78 RpĀ 707.9K
43.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.96 COPĀ 121.0K
$20.79 RpĀ 352.3K
53.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 COPĀ 388.8K
$125 RpĀ 2.1M
-17.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 COPĀ 408.4K
$124 RpĀ 2.1M
-12.98%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$483 COPĀ 1.8M
$220 RpĀ 3.7M
119.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$377 COPĀ 1.4M
$154 RpĀ 2.6M
145.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$822 COPĀ 3.1M
$501 RpĀ 8.5M
64.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$721 COPĀ 2.7M
$303 RpĀ 5.1M
137.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 COPĀ 10.5M
$1,354 RpĀ 22.9M
105.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,320 COPĀ 5.0M
$803 RpĀ 13.6M
64.50%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Balikpapan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$538 COPĀ 2.0M
$205 RpĀ 3.5M
162.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.43
15
-10.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

Last update for Balikpapan: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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