Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Surakarta

For one person, living is cheaper in Surakarta: $589 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Surakarta
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Surakarta Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Surakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Surakarta

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $589 in Surakarta, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Surakarta $589

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $933 in Surakarta, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Surakarta $933

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,278 in Surakarta, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Surakarta $1,278

Medellin costs about 178% more than Surakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Surakarta is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.70 Rp 30.9K

375.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$11.39 Rp 206.6K

313.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$3.06 Rp 55.4K

210.46%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.55 Rp 28.2K

94.19%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.53 Rp 9,664

239.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.23 Rp 4,147

513.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.40 Rp 25.5K

127.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.78 Rp 50.4K

106.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$0.86 Rp 15.6K

75.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

221.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

136.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.00 Rp 18.1K

189.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.78 Rp 141.1K

30.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

509.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$5.32 Rp 96.5K

162.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.97 Rp 35.8K

101.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.30 Rp 23.7K

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

21.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.41 Rp 25.5K

54.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$1.36 Rp 24.7K

44.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

-3.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.53 Rp 9,568

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.43 Rp 7,783

188.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$1.93 Rp 34.9K

105.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$8.23 Rp 149.3K

66.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.61 Rp 29.3K

3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

-23.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.41 Rp 7,401

185.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$11.35 Rp 205.8K

581.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.47 Rp 8,488

170.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.43 Rp 7,747

376.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

231.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

73.08%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$25.0K Rp 454.0M

36.10%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.9K Rp 596.8M

5.38%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

118.34%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$2.06 Rp 37.3K

557.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.73 Rp 339.7K

49.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$16.13 Rp 292.6K

170.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

106.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$1.88 Rp 34.1K

267.55%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$33.22 Rp 602.5K

2298.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,841 Rp 33.4M

394.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$58.8 Rp 1.1M

44.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$36.70 Rp 665.7K

57.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$68.2 Rp 1.2M

97.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$65.7 Rp 1.2M

49.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$223 Rp 4.0M

442.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$147 Rp 2.7M

335.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$559 Rp 10.1M

262.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$367 Rp 6.7M

175.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,102 Rp 20.0M

278.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$712 Rp 12.9M

168.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$155 Rp 2.8M

324.29%

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 Surakarta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Surakarta

$147 25% 77% $494

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Surakarta

$147 25% 50.4% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Surakarta

$98 16.7% 53.4% $113

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Surakarta

$57 9.7% 66.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Surakarta

$103 17.5% 38.9% $66

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Surakarta

$16 2.7% 83.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Surakarta

$20 3.4% 65.4% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $223 in Surakarta. 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 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $11 in Surakarta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $147 – making Surakarta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Surakarta

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

14:04 2:04 PM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

503,421

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Surakarta 19,290 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Surakarta

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 Surakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 178%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $883 in Surakarta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surakarta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $11 in Surakarta. 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 $589 in Surakarta. That makes Surakarta about 64% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Surakarta, where all-in costs run around $589, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Surakarta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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