Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bekasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bekasi: $659 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Bekasi
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Bekasi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bekasi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bekasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $659 in Bekasi.

Medellin $1,639
Bekasi $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,065 in Bekasi.

Medellin $2,413
Bekasi $1,065

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,472 in Bekasi.

Medellin $3,186
Bekasi $1,472

Living in Medellin is roughly 149% more expensive than in Bekasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bekasi is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

187.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$13.68 Rp 248.1K

243.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.35 Rp 60.7K

183.58%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.53 Rp 27.8K

96.73%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.42 Rp 7,579

328.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.22 Rp 3,980

540.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.50 Rp 45.3K

27.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.79 Rp 68.7K

51.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

37.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

122.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.88 Rp 15.9K

101.14%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.63 Rp 29.6K

77.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.28 Rp 168.4K

9.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.86 Rp 51.9K

245.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.84 Rp 142.2K

78.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.80 Rp 50.8K

41.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.37 Rp 24.8K

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.53 Rp 45.8K

-13.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.33 Rp 24.2K

63.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.34 Rp 24.2K

46.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$2.15 Rp 39.0K

-26.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.89 Rp 16.2K

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.44 Rp 7,994

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

45.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$21.79 Rp 395.2K

-37.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.90 Rp 34.4K

-12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.12 Rp 56.7K

-27.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.34 Rp 6,190

244.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$10.87 Rp 197.1K

611.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.84 Rp 15.2K

51.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.43 Rp 7,773

376.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.20 Rp 39.9K

288.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

68.75%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$21.4K Rp 387.9M

59.30%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.7K Rp 593.6M

5.94%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$63.4 Rp 1.1M

167.76%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$5.91 Rp 107.2K

129.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.51 Rp 335.8K

51.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$15.63 Rp 283.5K

179.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$6.07 Rp 110.1K

183.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.05 Rp 55.3K

126.56%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$128 Rp 2.3M

521.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,220 Rp 149.1M

10.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$56.6 Rp 1.0M

49.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$31.43 Rp 570.1K

84.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$77.0 Rp 1.4M

75.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$94.3 Rp 1.7M

3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$201 Rp 3.7M

499.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$131 Rp 2.4M

390.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$460 Rp 8.3M

341.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$359 Rp 6.5M

181.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$590 Rp 10.7M

606.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$888 Rp 16.1M

115.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$359 Rp 6.5M

82.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.46

15.64%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bekasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bekasi

$131 19.9% 79.6% $511

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bekasi

$213 32.3% 28.3% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bekasi

$88 13.3% 58.4% $123

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bekasi

$74 11.2% 56.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bekasi

$117 17.7% 30.9% $52

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bekasi

$15 2.3% 83.7% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bekasi

$22 3.3% 62.2% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $201 in Bekasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 83% 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 Bekasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $213 per month, with Bekasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Bekasi

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

17:42 5:42 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

2,334,871

💱 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 = 5.51 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bekasi 19,730 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bekasi

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 Bekasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $659 in Bekasi, so Bekasi is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Medellin, 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 $201 in Bekasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $659 in Bekasi – Bekasi is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $659 in Bekasi versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bekasi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bekasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bekasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.