Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pekanbaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $627 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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 Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pekanbaru

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $627 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Pekanbaru $627

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $986 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Pekanbaru $986

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,344 in Pekanbaru, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Pekanbaru $1,344

Medellin costs about 161% more than Pekanbaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Pekanbaru is 54% 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 151.7K

$8.09 Rp 146.5K

481.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$2.37 Rp 43.0K

300.84%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.27 Rp 23.1K

137.01%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.60 Rp 10.9K

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.33 Rp 6,007

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.02 Rp 36.7K

57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.50 Rp 63.5K

64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.27 Rp 23.0K

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

120.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

118.52%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.61 Rp 29.1K

79.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.06 Rp 127.9K

44.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.35 Rp 42.6K

320.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$6.38 Rp 115.6K

119.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.56 Rp 46.4K

55.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.31 Rp 41.9K

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.19 Rp 21.5K

83.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.26 Rp 22.9K

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.95 Rp 35.3K

-18.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.85 Rp 15.5K

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.36 Rp 6,437

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.15 Rp 39.0K

84.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$21.11 Rp 382.4K

-35.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.79 Rp 32.5K

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$2.99 Rp 54.2K

-24.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.27 Rp 4,866

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$11.26 Rp 204.1K

587.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

28.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.36 Rp 6,435

469.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.90 Rp 52.6K

194.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.70 Rp 12.7K

92.86%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$23.2K Rp 419.6M

47.12%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$25.8K Rp 467.1M

34.49%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$62.5 Rp 1.1M

171.57%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$6.02 Rp 109.0K

125.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$22.68 Rp 411.0K

23.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$27.69 Rp 501.8K

57.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$8.22 Rp 149.0K

109.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$3.07 Rp 55.6K

125.08%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$94.5 Rp 1.7M

743.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$8,127 Rp 147.3M

12.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$32.20 Rp 583.4K

163.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$28.67 Rp 519.5K

102.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$55.6 Rp 1.0M

142.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$243 Rp 4.4M

398.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$148 Rp 2.7M

333.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$541 Rp 9.8M

274.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$370 Rp 6.7M

173.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,302 Rp 23.6M

220.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$804 Rp 14.6M

137.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$175 Rp 3.2M

276.41%

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 Pekanbaru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Pekanbaru

$148 23.6% 77% $494

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Pekanbaru

$196 31.2% 34.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Pekanbaru

$91 14.5% 56.8% $120

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Pekanbaru

$55 8.7% 67.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Pekanbaru

$89 14.2% 47.5% $80

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Pekanbaru

$15 2.4% 83.9% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Pekanbaru

$34 5.4% 41.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $243 in Pekanbaru. 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 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $8 in Pekanbaru. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $196 – making Pekanbaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🕒 Local time

15:44 3:44 PM

03:44 3:44 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,020,308

💱 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 = 5.52 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Pekanbaru 19,190 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Pekanbaru

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 Pekanbaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 161%, 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 $941 in Pekanbaru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pekanbaru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $243 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $8 in Pekanbaru. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $627 in Pekanbaru. That makes Pekanbaru about 62% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pekanbaru, where all-in costs run around $627, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Pekanbaru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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