Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Purwokerto

For one person, living is cheaper in Purwokerto: $497 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Purwokerto
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Purwokerto Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Purwokerto

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Purwokerto

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $497 in Purwokerto, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Purwokerto $497

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $824 in Purwokerto, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Purwokerto $824

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,151 in Purwokerto, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Purwokerto $1,151

Medellin costs about 230% more than Purwokerto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Purwokerto is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

557.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

466.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.23 Rp 58.6K

194.12%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

124.63%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.41 Rp 7,357

339.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.18 Rp 3,263

683.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

44.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.01 Rp 54.6K

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

41.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

201.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

118.52%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

96.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.02 Rp 127.3K

45.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

251.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.04 Rp 127.7K

98.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.21 Rp 40.2K

79.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

42.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

44.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$0.87 Rp 15.9K

150.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

83.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

-16.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.65 Rp 11.8K

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.34 Rp 6,195

264.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.36 Rp 42.9K

67.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$21.23 Rp 385.0K

-35.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.81 Rp 32.9K

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

-28.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.20 Rp 3,621

485.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$11.72 Rp 212.5K

560.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.52 Rp 9,378

144.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.34 Rp 6,210

502.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

268.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

51.69%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$20.9K Rp 378.5M

63.26%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.2K Rp 584.6M

7.56%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$33.11 Rp 600.6K

412.38%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

398.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$19.01 Rp 344.7K

47.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$19.64 Rp 356.2K

122.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$10.88 Rp 197.3K

58.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.53 Rp 45.9K

173.12%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$92.9 Rp 1.7M

757.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,053 Rp 127.9M

29.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$38.47 Rp 697.8K

120.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$30.86 Rp 559.8K

87.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

86.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$68.8 Rp 1.2M

42.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$140 Rp 2.5M

763.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

828.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$584 Rp 10.6M

247.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$250 Rp 4.5M

305.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,376 Rp 25.0M

203.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$272 Rp 4.9M

601.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$117 Rp 2.1M

459.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

8.45

29.47%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Purwokerto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Purwokerto

$69 13.9% 89.2% $572

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Purwokerto

$184 37% 38.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Purwokerto

$55 11% 74% $156

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Purwokerto

$55 11.1% 67.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Purwokerto

$95 19.1% 43.9% $74

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Purwokerto

$15 3% 84.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Purwokerto

$25 5% 57.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $140 in Purwokerto. 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 5.6 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 Purwokerto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $184 – making Purwokerto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Purwokerto

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

16:05 4:05 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

292,782

💱 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 = 5.51 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,241 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Purwokerto 19,470 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Purwokerto

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 Purwokerto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 230%, 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 $745 in Purwokerto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Purwokerto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $8 in Purwokerto. 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 $497 in Purwokerto. That makes Purwokerto about 70% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Purwokerto, where all-in costs run around $497, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Purwokerto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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