Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Manado

For one person, living is cheaper in Manado: $562 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Manado
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Manado Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Manado

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Manado

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $562 in Manado, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Manado $562

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $888 in Manado, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Manado $888

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,214 in Manado, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Manado $1,214

Medellin costs about 192% more than Manado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Manado is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.42 Rp 25.7K

469.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$16.22 Rp 294.3K

190.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$2.80 Rp 50.9K

239.29%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

77.06%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.61 Rp 11.0K

195.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$0.25 Rp 4,569

464.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$3.36 Rp 60.9K

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.68 Rp 48.6K

114.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$1.04 Rp 18.8K

128.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$0.71 Rp 12.9K

149.30%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$1.86 Rp 33.7K

55.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$16.53 Rp 300.0K

-38.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.68 Rp 48.7K

268.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.38 Rp 115.9K

119.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.25 Rp 40.8K

76.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.44 Rp 26.2K

7.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

73.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$0.95 Rp 17.3K

129.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.83 Rp 15.1K

136.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$2.77 Rp 50.3K

-42.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.90 Rp 16.3K

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.43 Rp 7,775

188.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.36 Rp 42.8K

67.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$20.63 Rp 374.3K

-33.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.82 Rp 33.0K

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$2.93 Rp 53.2K

-22.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.31 Rp 5,630

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$12.15 Rp 220.5K

536.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.53 Rp 9,607

139.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.31 Rp 5,698

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.61 Rp 47.4K

227.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$0.59 Rp 10.8K

128.81%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$25.2K Rp 456.4M

35.45%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$31.3K Rp 568.8M

10.59%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$53.0 Rp 961.1K

220.28%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$4.44 Rp 80.5K

205.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$13.98 Rp 253.8K

100.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$12.65 Rp 229.6K

245.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$8.42 Rp 152.8K

104.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.44 Rp 44.3K

183.20%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$124 Rp 2.3M

540.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$4,574 Rp 83.0M

99.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$54.9 Rp 995.9K

54.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$19.80 Rp 359.2K

192.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

99.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$61.3 Rp 1.1M

59.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$244 Rp 4.4M

394.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$81.3 Rp 1.5M

688.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$299 Rp 5.4M

577.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$171 Rp 3.1M

492.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,138 Rp 20.6M

266.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$787 Rp 14.3M

142.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$212 Rp 3.9M

209.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

9.40%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Manado: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Manado

$81 14.5% 87.3% $560

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Manado

$219 39% 26.2% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Manado

$71 12.7% 66.2% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Manado

$66 11.7% 61.3% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Manado

$92 16.3% 45.7% $77

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Manado

$15 2.8% 83.4% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Manado

$18 3.1% 69.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $244 in Manado. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Manado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $219 – making Manado the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Manado

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

13 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

423,257

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.92 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,619 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 18,145 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,337 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.92 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Manado 17,590 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Manado

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 Manado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 192%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $843 in Manado. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Manado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Manado. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $124 in Manado. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Manado, where all-in costs run around $562, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Manado it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Manado – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Manado. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.