Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Binjai

For one person, living is cheaper in Binjai: $638 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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 Binjai
Learn more

Binjai Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Binjai

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Binjai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $638 in Binjai.

Medellin $1,639
Binjai $638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,029 in Binjai.

Medellin $2,413
Binjai $1,029

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,421 in Binjai.

Medellin $3,186
Binjai $1,421

Living in Medellin is roughly 157% more expensive than in Binjai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Binjai is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.80 Rp 32.7K

349.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$15.06 Rp 273.1K

212.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

238.08%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.33 Rp 24.1K

126.32%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.48 Rp 8,707

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.20 Rp 3,639

605.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.49 Rp 45.1K

27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.12 Rp 56.6K

84.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

45.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

153.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.80 Rp 14.6K

121.25%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

131.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.22 Rp 112.9K

63.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

213.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.48 Rp 135.8K

87.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

63.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.77 Rp 32.2K

23.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.25 Rp 22.7K

74.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.40 Rp 25.4K

40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.96 Rp 35.5K

-18.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

41.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.39 Rp 6,985

217.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.43 Rp 44.1K

62.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$21.59 Rp 391.6K

-36.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$2.01 Rp 36.5K

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.20 Rp 58.0K

-29.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.21 Rp 3,849

457.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$10.00 Rp 181.4K

673.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.47 Rp 8,510

170.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.36 Rp 6,512

469.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$3.18 Rp 57.6K

168.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

43.62%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$20.3K Rp 369.0M

67.44%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$30.1K Rp 546.1M

15.16%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$68.7 Rp 1.2M

147.02%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$3.91 Rp 70.8K

246.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.11 Rp 328.4K

55.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$20.19 Rp 366.2K

116.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$8.73 Rp 158.4K

96.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.88 Rp 52.3K

139.93%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$105 Rp 1.9M

660.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,060 Rp 146.2M

13.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$42.93 Rp 778.7K

97.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$27.03 Rp 490.3K

114.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$84.1 Rp 1.5M

60.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$62.7 Rp 1.1M

56.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$204 Rp 3.7M

493.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$156 Rp 2.8M

310.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$495 Rp 9.0M

309.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$411 Rp 7.5M

146.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,207 Rp 21.9M

245.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$752 Rp 13.6M

153.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Binjai: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Binjai

$156 24.5% 75.6% $485

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Binjai

$194 30.4% 34.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Binjai

$91 14.2% 57.1% $121

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Binjai

$60 9.4% 64.5% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Binjai

$98 15.3% 42.3% $71

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Binjai

$13 2.1% 86% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Binjai

$26 4.1% 54.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $204 in Binjai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $15 in Binjai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $194 per month, with Binjai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Binjai

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

18:09 6:09 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

267,901

💱 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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Between locations

Medellin Binjai 18,740 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Binjai

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 Binjai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binjai is about 61% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $956 in Binjai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $204 in Binjai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $638 in Binjai – Binjai is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Binjai runs roughly 87% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $638 in Binjai versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Binjai but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Binjai 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 Binjai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 61% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.