Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bandung

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $623 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bandung

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $623 in Bandung.

Medellin $1,639
Bandung $623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $925 in Bandung.

Medellin $2,413
Bandung $925

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,226 in Bandung.

Medellin $3,186
Bandung $1,226

Living in Medellin is roughly 163% more expensive than in Bandung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bandung is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

477.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$13.70 Rp 248.3K

243.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.22 Rp 58.3K

195.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

103.38%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.43 Rp 7,756

318.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.22 Rp 3,982

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$3.10 Rp 56.2K

2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.10 Rp 56.2K

85.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

36.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$0.97 Rp 17.5K

145.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

105.81%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

104.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.94 Rp 125.7K

46.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.92 Rp 53.0K

238.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$7.93 Rp 143.6K

76.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.22 Rp 40.2K

78.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

47.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

144.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

79.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.94 Rp 35.1K

-18.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.64 Rp 11.6K

79.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.43 Rp 7,792

188.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

54.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$22.37 Rp 405.4K

-38.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

-12.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.15 Rp 57.2K

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.27 Rp 4,849

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$12.56 Rp 227.7K

516.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.84 Rp 15.3K

51.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.54 Rp 9,707

279.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

268.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

60.71%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$20.8K Rp 376.1M

64.13%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$32.2K Rp 584.0M

7.58%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$33.56 Rp 608.0K

405.51%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$4.22 Rp 76.5K

221.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$19.17 Rp 347.4K

46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$16.35 Rp 296.3K

167.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$5.92 Rp 107.3K

190.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.83 Rp 51.2K

144.17%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$92.1 Rp 1.7M

764.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,239 Rp 149.3M

10.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$38.89 Rp 704.6K

117.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$31.30 Rp 567.1K

85.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$74.7 Rp 1.4M

80.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$69.3 Rp 1.3M

41.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$208 Rp 3.8M

479.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$176 Rp 3.2M

265.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$372 Rp 6.7M

445.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$264 Rp 4.8M

283.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$706 Rp 12.8M

491.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$298 Rp 5.4M

540.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$277 Rp 5.0M

137.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.38

-3.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bandung: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bandung

$176 28.2% 72.6% $466

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bandung

$192 30.8% 35.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bandung

$57 9.1% 73% $154

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bandung

$63 10.1% 62.9% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bandung

$96 15.5% 43% $73

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bandung

$17 2.8% 81.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bandung

$22 3.5% 61.8% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $208 in Bandung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 2.4 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $14 in Bandung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $192 per month, with Bandung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Bandung

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

21:25 9:25 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,390,120

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bandung 19,650 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bandung

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

Medellin vs Bandung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Medellin is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $208 in Bandung. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $623 in Bandung versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Bandung but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bandung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value at $623 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.