Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Padang

For one person, living is cheaper in Padang: $620 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Padang
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Padang Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Padang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Padang

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $620 in Padang, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Padang $620

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $996 in Padang, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Padang $996

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,372 in Padang, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Padang $1,372

Medellin costs about 160% more than Padang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Padang is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

383.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$15.72 Rp 283.0K

193.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$2.92 Rp 52.5K

225.34%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.44 Rp 26.0K

115.97%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.41 Rp 7,394

346.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.22 Rp 3,925

527.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.14 Rp 38.6K

42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.74 Rp 67.3K

47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

27.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.04 Rp 18.7K

126.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.96 Rp 17.4K

75.00%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.49 Rp 26.8K

91.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$6.82 Rp 122.8K

49.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$2.88 Rp 51.8K

230.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

116.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$2.51 Rp 45.2K

62.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.73 Rp 31.2K

25.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.24 Rp 22.4K

86.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

67.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

-10.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

41.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.40 Rp 7,241

212.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

46.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$21.21 Rp 381.7K

-37.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

-1.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

-27.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.29 Rp 5,254

317.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.52 Rp 9,417

153.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.35 Rp 6,239

511.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$2.77 Rp 49.8K

205.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

36.84%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$20.4K Rp 366.6M

37.43%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$32.7K Rp 588.6M

8.29%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$67.6 Rp 1.2M

154.61%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$4.97 Rp 89.5K

169.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$20.99 Rp 377.8K

36.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$19.55 Rp 351.9K

131.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$8.88 Rp 159.9K

91.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$2.60 Rp 46.7K

141.54%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$80.4 Rp 1.4M

857.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$8,325 Rp 149.8M

8.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$42.73 Rp 769.2K

102.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$26.93 Rp 484.8K

112.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$63.8 Rp 1.1M

114.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$206 Rp 3.7M

411.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$154 Rp 2.8M

300.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$494 Rp 8.9M

282.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$391 Rp 7.0M

161.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,124 Rp 20.2M

261.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$706 Rp 12.7M

137.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$165 Rp 3.0M

295.21%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Padang: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Padang

$154 24.8% 75% $462

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Padang

$192 31% 34.9% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Padang

$94 15.1% 56.3% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Padang

$93 14.9% 45.5% $77

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Padang

$60 9.7% 64.4% $108

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Padang

$3.4 * 0.6% 96.3% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Padang

$25 4% 57.2% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $206 in Padang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 295% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin versus $16.00 in Padang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $192 – making Padang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Padang

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,000,096

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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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Between locations

Medellin Padang 19,270 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Padang

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 Padang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 160%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $930 in Padang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Padang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $16.00 in Padang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Padang, where all-in costs run around $620, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Padang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Padang – 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 Padang. 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.