Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gresik

For one person, living is cheaper in Gresik: $593 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Gresik, Indonesia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Gresik
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$593
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gresik

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $593 in Gresik.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Gresik $593

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $903 in Gresik.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Gresik $903

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,213 in Gresik.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Gresik $1,213

Living in Medellin is roughly 176% more expensive than in Gresik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Gresik is 56% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$1.08 Rp 19.6K
649.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$9.76 Rp 177.0K
382.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$3.00 Rp 54.4K
216.67%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,735
$1.61 Rp 29.1K
86.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.42 Rp 7,656
328.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,561
$0.22 Rp 3,993
540.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.15 Rp 39.0K
47.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$2.06 Rp 37.3K
179.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,876
$1.19 Rp 21.5K
26.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,678
$1.26 Rp 22.9K
88.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,720
$0.89 Rp 16.1K
98.88%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,333
$1.09 Rp 19.7K
165.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.72 Rp 140.0K
31.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$2.97 Rp 53.8K
232.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$7.29 Rp 132.3K
91.91%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$1.99 Rp 36.0K
99.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,012
$1.24 Rp 22.5K
25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,048
$1.82 Rp 33.0K
19.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,051
$1.51 Rp 27.4K
44.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,337
$1.35 Rp 24.5K
45.19%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,132
$1.94 Rp 35.2K
-18.04%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,699
$0.75 Rp 13.7K
53.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.40 Rp 7,208
210.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$1.82 Rp 33.1K
117.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$10.97 Rp 199.0K
24.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.73 Rp 31.4K
-4.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,291
$2.77 Rp 50.2K
-18.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,771
$0.23 Rp 4,174
408.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$11.74 Rp 212.9K
559.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$0.50 Rp 8,984
154.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,612
$0.43 Rp 7,796
376.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$2.66 Rp 48.2K
221.43%
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
$35.7K Rp 646.7M
-4.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$25.2K Rp 457.2M
37.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.8K
$84.7 Rp 1.5M
100.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.8K
$4.68 Rp 84.9K
189.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$19.38 Rp 351.5K
44.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$23.57 Rp 427.6K
85.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$8.38 Rp 152.0K
105.13%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$2.54 Rp 46.1K
172.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$52.9 Rp 959.1K
1406.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$9,259 Rp 167.9M
-1.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$41.12 Rp 745.9K
106.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.2K
$22.39 Rp 406.0K
158.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.8K
$75.0 Rp 1.4M
80.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$73.9 Rp 1.3M
32.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$167 Rp 3.0M
623.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$114 Rp 2.1M
463.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$307 Rp 5.6M
559.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$241 Rp 4.4M
319.48%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$1,216 Rp 22.1M
242.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$906 Rp 16.4M
110.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Gresik
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$108 Rp 2.0M
506.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
7.5
45.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gresik: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Gresik
$114 82.2% $528
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Gresik
$176 40.6% $121
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Gresik
$109 48.5% $102
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Gresik
$54 68% $115
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Gresik
$96 43.4% $73
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Gresik
$15 83.6% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Gresik
$29 50.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $167 in Gresik. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays about 6.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $10 in Gresik for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $176 per month, with Gresik cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇩 Gresik
🕒 Local time
01:00 1:00 AM
13:00 1:00 PM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Gresik 19,100 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Gresik

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 Gresik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gresik cheaper than Medellin?
Gresik is about 64% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Medellin or Gresik?
Average pay in Medellin is about 6.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Gresik?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $167 in Gresik. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Gresik?
Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Gresik?
Dining out is cheaper in Gresik – a meal for two runs $10 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Gresik?
At $593 in Gresik versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Gresik but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Gresik the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Gresik?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Gresik gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?