Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Tanjung Balai Karimun

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun: $610 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 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 Tanjung Balai Karimun
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Tanjung Balai Karimun Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Tanjung Balai Karimun

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Tanjung Balai Karimun $610

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,014 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,014

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,417 in Tanjung Balai Karimun, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Tanjung Balai Karimun $1,417

Medellin costs about 169% more than Tanjung Balai Karimun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Tanjung Balai Karimun is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$1.60 Rp 29.0K

405.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$13.72 Rp 248.5K

242.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$3.27 Rp 59.3K

190.52%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

106.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$0.46 Rp 8,267

291.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$0.24 Rp 4,369

487.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$3.63 Rp 65.8K

58.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.03 Rp 18.6K

46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.09 Rp 19.8K

118.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$0.73 Rp 13.3K

142.47%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$1.62 Rp 29.4K

78.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$7.40 Rp 134.2K

37.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$2.90 Rp 52.5K

240.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.49 Rp 153.8K

64.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$2.36 Rp 42.7K

68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.20 Rp 21.8K

29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.47 Rp 26.6K

48.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$1.29 Rp 23.3K

68.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.08 Rp 19.5K

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$2.03 Rp 36.7K

-21.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

47.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.42 Rp 7,670

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.58 Rp 46.8K

53.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$20.80 Rp 376.9K

-34.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.77 Rp 32.0K

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$3.32 Rp 60.1K

-31.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.22 Rp 3,993

431.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$9.92 Rp 179.8K

679.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$0.49 Rp 8,930

159.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.35 Rp 6,356

485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$2.91 Rp 52.8K

193.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

87.50%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$25.6K Rp 463.6M

33.16%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$34.6K Rp 626.7M

0.25%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$68.4 Rp 1.2M

148.10%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$4.25 Rp 77.1K

218.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$20.80 Rp 376.8K

34.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$18.27 Rp 331.1K

139.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$8.18 Rp 148.3K

110.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.96 Rp 53.7K

133.45%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$90.4 Rp 1.6M

781.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$7,256 Rp 131.5M

25.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$46.89 Rp 849.6K

80.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$31.72 Rp 574.8K

82.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$70.4 Rp 1.3M

91.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$60.6 Rp 1.1M

61.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$196 Rp 3.5M

517.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$128 Rp 2.3M

402.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$529 Rp 9.6M

283.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$411 Rp 7.4M

146.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,280 Rp 23.2M

225.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$742 Rp 13.5M

157.31%

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$128 20.9% 80.1% $514

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$197 32.2% 33.8% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$93 15.3% 55.8% $118

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$61 10% 64.1% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$94 15.5% 44.2% $75

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$13 2.1% 86.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Tanjung Balai Karimun

$24 4% 57.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $196 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. 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 $14 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $197 – making Tanjung Balai Karimun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇮🇩 Tanjung Balai Karimun

🕒 Local time

13:38 1:38 PM

01:38 1:38 AM

12 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

48,953

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Tanjung Balai Karimun 19,200 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Tanjung Balai Karimun

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 Tanjung Balai Karimun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 169%, 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 $915 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tanjung Balai Karimun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $196 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $14 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. 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 $610 in Tanjung Balai Karimun. That makes Tanjung Balai Karimun about 63% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tanjung Balai Karimun, where all-in costs run around $610, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Tanjung Balai Karimun it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Tanjung Balai Karimun is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.