Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sibolga

For one person, living is cheaper in Sibolga: $632 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 Sibolga
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Sibolga Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sibolga

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sibolga

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $632 in Sibolga, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sibolga $632

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,015 in Sibolga, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sibolga $1,015

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,397 in Sibolga, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sibolga $1,397

Medellin costs about 159% more than Sibolga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$1.43 Rp 26.0K

465.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$11.92 Rp 216.7K

294.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$3.41 Rp 62.0K

178.59%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$1.69 Rp 30.8K

78.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.42 Rp 7,625

328.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.21 Rp 3,807

571.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.00 Rp 36.3K

59.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.26 Rp 59.2K

76.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.31 Rp 23.8K

15.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.96 Rp 17.5K

147.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

92.39%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.56 Rp 28.3K

85.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.92 Rp 143.9K

28.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.52 Rp 45.8K

291.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$8.57 Rp 155.8K

63.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.46 Rp 44.7K

61.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.43 Rp 26.0K

8.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.48 Rp 26.8K

47.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.14 Rp 20.6K

91.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.22 Rp 22.1K

60.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.78 Rp 32.4K

-10.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.71 Rp 12.9K

61.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.40 Rp 7,256

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.02 Rp 55.0K

31.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$21.27 Rp 386.6K

-35.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.66 Rp 30.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.31 Rp 60.2K

-31.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.28 Rp 5,004

317.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$12.91 Rp 234.6K

499.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.53 Rp 9,706

139.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.37 Rp 6,806

454.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$2.64 Rp 48.0K

223.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$0.90 Rp 16.4K

50.00%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$20.4K Rp 370.4M

67.17%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.3K Rp 586.5M

7.44%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$60.5 Rp 1.1M

180.60%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$4.90 Rp 89.0K

176.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$17.04 Rp 309.6K

64.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$17.72 Rp 322.1K

146.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$7.98 Rp 145.0K

115.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$2.58 Rp 46.9K

167.83%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$100 Rp 1.8M

695.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$8,753 Rp 159.1M

4.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$37.65 Rp 684.3K

125.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$24.73 Rp 449.5K

134.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$84.5 Rp 1.5M

59.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$74.5 Rp 1.4M

31.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$200 Rp 3.6M

504.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$150 Rp 2.7M

327.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$514 Rp 9.3M

294.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$387 Rp 7.0M

161.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,209 Rp 22.0M

244.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$853 Rp 15.5M

123.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Sibolga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sibolga

$150 23.8% 76.6% $491

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sibolga

$199 31.6% 32.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sibolga

$82 13% 61% $129

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sibolga

$61 9.7% 64% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sibolga

$100 15.8% 41% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sibolga

$16 2.6% 82.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sibolga

$23 3.6% 60.2% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $200 in Sibolga. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $12 in Sibolga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $199 – making Sibolga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Sibolga

🕒 Local time

18:02 6:02 PM

06:02 6:02 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

95,471

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.5 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sibolga 18,930 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sibolga

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 Sibolga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 159%, 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 $948 in Sibolga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sibolga, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $200 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $12 in Sibolga. 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 $632 in Sibolga. That makes Sibolga about 61% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Sibolga, where all-in costs run around $632, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sibolga it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Sibolga is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 61% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.