Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Semarang and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Semarang: $593 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.

29

Cost of Living Index in Semarang
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Semarang Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Semarang

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$593

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Semarang 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 Semarang and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $593 per month in Semarang vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Semarang $593
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $938 per month in Semarang vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Semarang $938
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,282 per month in Semarang vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Semarang $1,282
Medellin $3,186

Semarang is about 64% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Semarang sits 56% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-83.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.53 Rp 191.3K

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-77.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.04 Rp 55.3K

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-68.00%

Cappuccino

$1.28 Rp 23.2K

$3.01 COP 9,485

-57.48%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,808

$1.80 COP 5,660

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 Rp 2,847

$1.41 COP 4,443

-88.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$3.18 COP 9,990

-48.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 Rp 59.1K

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-43.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 Rp 19.0K

$1.51 COP 4,751

-30.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 Rp 16.7K

$2.38 COP 7,480

-61.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 Rp 14.4K

$1.77 COP 5,573

-55.37%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.4K

$2.89 COP 9,093

-59.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.86 Rp 70.2K

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-62.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.33 Rp 42.4K

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-76.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 Rp 137.3K

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-46.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 Rp 35.7K

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-50.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.55 COP 4,883

-17.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.8K

$2.18 COP 6,867

-17.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

$2.18 COP 6,870

-32.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 Rp 23.3K

$1.96 COP 6,174

-34.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.3K

$1.59 COP 5,000

18.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 Rp 17.0K

$1.15 COP 3,604

-19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 Rp 7,359

$1.24 COP 3,911

-67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 Rp 34.1K

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-52.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.05 Rp 455.2K

$13.68 COP 43.0K

83.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 Rp 29.8K

$1.66 COP 5,221

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 Rp 35.4K

$2.26 COP 7,103

-13.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 Rp 3,816

$1.17 COP 3,674

-82.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.93 Rp 253.1K

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-82.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 9,128

$1.27 COP 3,989

-60.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 Rp 5,331

$2.05 COP 6,442

-85.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 Rp 48.8K

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-68.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 14.0K

$1.35 COP 4,237

-42.96%

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

$24.5K Rp 446.0M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-27.97%

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

$32.2K Rp 585.5M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-7.08%

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

$86.1 Rp 1.6M

$170 COP 533.7K

-49.23%

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

$2.67 Rp 48.4K

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-80.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.96 Rp 344.7K

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-32.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.30 Rp 368.9K

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-53.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 Rp 81.5K

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-73.88%

Cinema Ticket

$2.25 Rp 40.9K

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-67.44%

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

$49.33 Rp 896.6K

$797 COP 2.5M

-93.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,076 Rp 37.7M

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-77.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.61 Rp 629.1K

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-59.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 Rp 532.7K

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-49.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 Rp 1.0M

$135 COP 424.6K

-58.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.07 Rp 691.9K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-61.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$226 Rp 4.1M

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-81.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 Rp 2.5M

$642 COP 2.0M

-78.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 Rp 8.7M

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-76.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Rp 6.9M

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-62.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,223 Rp 22.2M

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-70.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$833 Rp 15.1M

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-56.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 Rp 3.4M

$657 COP 2.1M

-71.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

10.94

-19.38%

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

Last update for Semarang: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Semarang

$184 31%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 61.5% $113

Accommodation & Living

Semarang

$136 23%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 370% $505

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Semarang

$108 18.2%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 96.1% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Semarang

$71 12%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 137% $98

Eating Out

Semarang

$52 8.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 225% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Semarang

$25 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 132% $33

Getting Around

Semarang

$17 2.8%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 459% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $226 in Semarang versus $1,208 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 in Medellin are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Semarang versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $297 – making Semarang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Semarang

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

16:35 4:35 PM

12 h behind Semarang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,555,984

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18,175 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.5 USD). 1 EUR = 20,233 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Semarang Medellin 19,340 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Semarang
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

Semarang vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 176%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $890 per month in Semarang and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Semarang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $11 in Semarang and $47 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 $593 in Semarang and $1,639 in Medellin. That makes Semarang about 64% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Semarang, where all-in costs run around $593, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Semarang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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