Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surabaya and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $674 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$674

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $674 per month in Surabaya vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Surabaya $674
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,173 per month in Surabaya vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Surabaya $1,173
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,672 per month in Surabaya vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Surabaya $1,672
Medellin $3,199

Surabaya is about 59% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Surabaya sits 50% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.63 Rp 29.3K

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-80.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.26 Rp 202.7K

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-76.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.14 Rp 56.5K

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-66.02%

Cappuccino

$1.56 Rp 28.0K

$3.05 COP 9,676

-48.85%

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

$0.55 Rp 9,867

$1.80 COP 5,707

-69.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 Rp 4,619

$1.38 COP 4,382

-81.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 Rp 74.5K

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 Rp 22.5K

$1.50 COP 4,760

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 Rp 22.9K

$2.37 COP 7,508

-46.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

$1.70 COP 5,377

-51.18%

Eggs

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.96 COP 9,379

-60.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-24.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 Rp 55.5K

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-68.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 139.4K

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-44.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.3K

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-51.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

$1.53 COP 4,839

-15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$2.22 COP 7,052

-14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

$2.27 COP 7,194

-34.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 Rp 24.4K

$1.99 COP 6,311

-31.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$1.67 COP 5,285

13.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

$1.18 COP 3,742

-24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 Rp 7,029

$1.24 COP 3,919

-68.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 Rp 35.7K

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-48.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.14 Rp 452.5K

$13.78 COP 43.7K

82.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 Rp 31.3K

$1.66 COP 5,256

4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 Rp 50.9K

$2.40 COP 7,615

17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 Rp 6,237

$1.24 COP 3,944

-71.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 Rp 8,282

$1.28 COP 4,044

-64.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 Rp 7,542

$2.15 COP 6,803

-80.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 Rp 46.4K

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-69.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 Rp 15.8K

$1.35 COP 4,288

-34.81%

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

$24.6K Rp 443.1M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-29.18%

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

$32.3K Rp 581.0M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-6.94%

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

$87.3 Rp 1.6M

$167 COP 528.4K

-47.60%

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

$4.57 Rp 82.2K

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-66.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.05 Rp 342.9K

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-34.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.92 Rp 322.6K

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-60.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.66 Rp 119.9K

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-61.23%

Cinema Ticket

$2.64 Rp 47.5K

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-62.12%

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

$277 Rp 5.0M

$790 COP 2.5M

-64.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,324 Rp 167.8M

$9,041 COP 28.7M

3.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-19.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 Rp 694.4K

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-33.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$139 COP 440.7K

-41.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 Rp 1.4M

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-24.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 Rp 5.1M

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-72.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 Rp 2.6M

$620 COP 2.0M

-76.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,238 Rp 22.3M

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-34.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 Rp 10.8M

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-40.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,161 Rp 38.9M

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-45.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,072 Rp 19.3M

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-37.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$271 Rp 4.9M

$663 COP 2.1M

-59.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

10.94

-31.44%

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

Last update for Surabaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Surabaya

$209 31%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 42.7% $89

Accommodation & Living

Surabaya

$144 21.4%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 329% $475

Clothing & Footwear

Surabaya

$119 17.7%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 44.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surabaya

$111 16.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 88.8% $98

Eating Out

Surabaya

$63 9.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 169% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Surabaya

$23 3.4%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 155% $36

Getting Around

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 2316% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Surabaya versus $1,028 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 145% 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 $11.00 in Surabaya versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $298 – making Surabaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:32 7:32 PM

07:32 7:32 AM

12 h behind Surabaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,765,487

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 20, 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 20, 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

Surabaya Medellin 19,090 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Surabaya
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

Surabaya vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,011 per month in Surabaya and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surabaya, 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 $11.00 in Surabaya and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Surabaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Surabaya – 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 Surabaya. 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.