Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sidoarjo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sidoarjo: $622 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Sidoarjo, Indonesia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Sidoarjo
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$622
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sidoarjo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $622 in Sidoarjo, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Sidoarjo $622

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $971 in Sidoarjo, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Sidoarjo $971

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,321 in Sidoarjo, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Sidoarjo $1,321

Medellin costs about 164% more than Sidoarjo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 26.1K
$1.64 Rp 29.7K
393.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 151.9K
$11.20 Rp 203.1K
320.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.7K
$3.03 Rp 54.9K
213.53%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,735
$0.57 Rp 10.3K
428.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,809
$0.42 Rp 7,669
328.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,561
$0.26 Rp 4,699
442.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.3K
$2.22 Rp 40.3K
43.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.6K
$4.17 Rp 75.6K
37.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,876
$1.21 Rp 21.9K
24.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,678
$0.97 Rp 17.7K
145.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,720
$0.89 Rp 16.2K
98.88%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,333
$1.21 Rp 22.0K
138.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.9K
$7.65 Rp 138.8K
33.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.9K
$1.90 Rp 34.4K
419.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 45.2K
$5.63 Rp 102.1K
148.49%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.8K
$0.89 Rp 16.2K
346.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 5,012
$0.56 Rp 10.2K
176.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,048
$0.70 Rp 12.6K
211.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 7,051
$0.53 Rp 9,640
311.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,337
$0.74 Rp 13.4K
164.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,132
$1.02 Rp 18.6K
55.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,699
$0.27 Rp 4,846
325.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 4,014
$0.39 Rp 7,155
217.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.8K
$1.95 Rp 35.4K
103.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 44.2K
$24.62 Rp 446.6K
-44.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,359
$1.64 Rp 29.7K
1.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,291
$2.86 Rp 51.8K
-20.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,771
$0.26 Rp 4,710
350.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 249.8K
$9.85 Rp 178.7K
685.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,094
$0.39 Rp 7,100
225.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,612
$0.41 Rp 7,416
400.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.6K
$1.07 Rp 19.4K
699.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,349
$0.80 Rp 14.5K
68.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.0M
$24.4K Rp 443.4M
39.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 111.9M
$32.6K Rp 590.9M
6.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 547.8K
$85.9 Rp 1.6M
97.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 43.8K
$4.57 Rp 82.9K
196.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 90.6K
$11.21 Rp 203.4K
150.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 141.1K
$18.71 Rp 339.3K
133.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 55.5K
$8.36 Rp 151.6K
105.62%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 22.3K
$2.63 Rp 47.8K
162.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.6M
$93.4 Rp 1.7M
753.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 29.4M
$9,471 Rp 171.8M
-3.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 273.5K
$69.3 Rp 1.3M
22.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 187.2K
$38.31 Rp 694.8K
51.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 435.8K
$79.6 Rp 1.4M
69.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 316.0K
$73.1 Rp 1.3M
33.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.9M
$229 Rp 4.1M
428.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.1M
$148 Rp 2.7M
332.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.5M
$553 Rp 10.0M
266.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.3M
$373 Rp 6.8M
171.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.5M
$1,141 Rp 20.7M
265.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.2M
$802 Rp 14.6M
138.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Sidoarjo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
7.5
45.87%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sidoarjo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Sidoarjo
$148 76.9% $493
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Sidoarjo
$166 44.1% $131
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Sidoarjo
$102 51.9% $110
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Sidoarjo
$51 69.8% $118
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Sidoarjo
$117 30.7% $52
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Sidoarjo
$13 85.8% $80
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Sidoarjo
$24 58.3% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $229 in Sidoarjo. 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 $11 in Sidoarjo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $166 – making Sidoarjo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇮🇩 Sidoarjo
🕒 Local time
09:30 9:30 AM
21:30 9:30 PM
12 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
201,115
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Sidoarjo 19,090 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Sidoarjo

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 Sidoarjo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sidoarjo cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 164%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $932 in Sidoarjo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sidoarjo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Sidoarjo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $11 in Sidoarjo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Sidoarjo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $622 in Sidoarjo. That makes Sidoarjo about 62% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Sidoarjo?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sidoarjo, where all-in costs run around $622, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Sidoarjo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Sidoarjo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sidoarjo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Sidoarjo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 62% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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