Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pekanbaru and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
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Pekanbaru Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pekanbaru and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pekanbaru and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $628 per month in Pekanbaru vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Pekanbaru $628
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $983 per month in Pekanbaru vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Pekanbaru $983
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $1,339 per month in Pekanbaru vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Pekanbaru $1,339
Medellin $3,190

Pekanbaru is about 61% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pekanbaru sits 53% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-81.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-82.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-74.63%

Cappuccino

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$3.11 COP 9,866

-58.20%

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

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

$1.83 COP 5,800

-68.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 Rp 5,954

$1.38 COP 4,360

-76.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$3.05 COP 9,672

-32.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-37.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$1.45 COP 4,600

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$2.36 COP 7,496

-51.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.68 COP 5,328

-47.02%

Eggs

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

$2.86 COP 9,077

-41.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

$10.19 COP 32.3K

-28.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-75.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-53.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-33.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$1.50 COP 4,742

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$2.17 COP 6,891

11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$2.31 COP 7,310

-45.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$1.93 COP 6,113

-35.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.64 COP 5,196

16.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$1.13 COP 3,571

-33.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 Rp 6,350

$1.25 COP 3,954

-72.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$3.99 COP 12.6K

-45.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

$13.35 COP 42.3K

60.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.70 COP 5,384

12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

$2.37 COP 7,525

27.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,230

$1.21 COP 3,827

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-88.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$1.32 COP 4,179

-30.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,154

$2.14 COP 6,774

-81.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-68.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

$1.30 COP 4,114

-41.54%

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

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

-16.85%

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

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-26.50%

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

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

$172 COP 545.6K

-63.93%

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

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-55.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-17.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

$45.24 COP 143.5K

-37.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

$17.04 COP 54.0K

-51.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-51.75%

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

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

$770 COP 2.4M

-87.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-13.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-63.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-50.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

$137 COP 432.9K

-59.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 Rp 4.7M

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-75.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 Rp 2.6M

$616 COP 2.0M

-76.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 Rp 9.7M

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-71.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 Rp 6.4M

$1,023 COP 3.2M

-65.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

$4,059 COP 12.9M

-73.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$807 Rp 14.5M

$1,678 COP 5.3M

-51.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$652 COP 2.1M

-73.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

10.94

-13.53%

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

Last update for Pekanbaru: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pekanbaru

$201 32%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 46.7% $94

Accommodation & Living

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 325% $471

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 133% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Pekanbaru

$88 14%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 92.9% $82

Eating Out

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 205% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 68% $23

Getting Around

Pekanbaru

$13 2%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 645% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in Pekanbaru versus $1,055 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 271% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Pekanbaru versus $46.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $295 – making Pekanbaru the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

12 h behind Pekanbaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,020,308

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pekanbaru Medellin 19,190 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Pekanbaru
Medellin

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

Pekanbaru vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 157%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $942 per month in Pekanbaru and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pekanbaru, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Pekanbaru and $46.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $628 in Pekanbaru and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 157%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pekanbaru, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Pekanbaru it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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