Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gili Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gili Air

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $812 in Gili Air, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Gili Air $812

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,337 in Gili Air, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Gili Air $1,337

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,861 in Gili Air, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Gili Air $1,861

Medellin costs about 100% more than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Gili Air is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

351.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

142.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

209.03%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

113.29%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

106.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.44 Rp 7,928

213.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

121.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

127.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

48.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

109.88%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

101.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

-16.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

245.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

62.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

65.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

34.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

32.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

65.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

48.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

-2.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

61.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.38 Rp 6,869

226.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

143.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

-12.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

-1.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

16.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.18 Rp 3,182

588.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

1077.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.38 Rp 6,851

236.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.34 Rp 6,206

532.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

66.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

90.14%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

82.91%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

35.20%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

158.49%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

161.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

98.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

40.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

64.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

177.69%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$336 Rp 6.0M

135.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

129.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

133.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

102.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

118.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

56.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$543 Rp 9.8M

89.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$331 Rp 6.0M

87.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

10.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$807 Rp 14.5M

24.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

205.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

58.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

13.78

-20.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gili Air: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Gili Air

$331 40.8% 46.5% $288

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Gili Air

$205 25.2% 31.2% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Gili Air

$84 10.4% 59.7% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Gili Air

$87 10.7% 49.7% $86

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 65.9% $113

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2% 90.1% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Gili Air

$37 4.6% 37% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $543 in Gili Air. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $19.00 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $205 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

06:41 6:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,800

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

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

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Gili Air 18,710 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 100%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,218 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gili Air, 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 $1,625 in Medellin and $812 in Gili Air. That's a gap of about 100%.

Public transport costs about 1078% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Gili Air it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gili Air – 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 Gili Air. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.