Cost of living in Medan, prices and what it is like to live for an Expat, quality of life / hardship, and compare cost of living for Expatriates as at July 2023.

What is it like to live in Medan?

Medan: Medan is the capital of the North Sumatra province in Indonesia. Medan is the fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung.

Economy: Medan is a seaport and coffee beans are grown in North Sumatra and largely exported to the United States.

Inflation: 3.08% for Indonesia as at July 2023.

Medan Population: 4.2 Million (2022 est.)

Expat Life: Most Indonesians, especially Javanese, tend to avoid confrontation. As a result, it is considered impolite to contradict other people, especially guests. They may therefore avoid saying 'no' when in fact they mean "no". Expatriate dress code is relatively casual because of the climate. Expatriates should however dress conservatively. The safety risk for expatriates in Indonesia varies considerably across the country, but is generally medium, however Maluku, Aceh, Papua, and West Papua carry a higher risk. Risks include violent and non-violent crime, risks associated with protest action, and terrorism. Other risks include natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding and volcanic eruptions.

Health Care: Health care facilities are not generally comparable to those of Western Europe and North America, especially in rural areas. In major cities private health care care is available, but it is expensive. Rabies is present. Dengue fever occurs. Widespread forest fires can cause smoke haze resulting in poor air quality that may have an impact on public health.

For other areas within the country see Indonesia.

Cost Of Living

What is the cost of living in Medan?

The cost of living for expatriates in Medan as at July 2023 is very low in comparison to other places in the world, with an overall Cost of Living Index (COLI), for all 13 basket groups, of 39.57 (New York =100). We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, based on Expat spending norms, in or closest to the location, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Medan is as follows:

1) Alcohol and/or Tobacco: Cost is average for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$700. Average price in a store for a midrange bottle of wine is USD$10.86, domestic/local beer (500ml) USD$3.04, imported/international beer (330ml) USD$2.69 and a pack of 20 cigarettes is USD$3.04.

2) Clothing: Cost is average for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$730. Average price for an international brand of mens jeans is USD$74, a quality international brand of running shoes USD$154, mens leather shoes suitable for office wear USD$91 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is USD$41.

3) Communication: Cost is low for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$92. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is USD$34, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$2.14 per minute.

4) Education: Cost is very low for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30,000 in New York costs USD$10800. Average annual private international school fee (excluding extras) USD$7,068 for Primary School, and USD$7,865 for High School.

5) Furniture & Appliances: Cost is very low for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2,500 in New York costs USD$1175. Average price for a 6kg front loader Washing Machine is USD$561, and USD$482 for a 46+'' LED UHD TV.

6) Groceries: Cost is very low for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$460. Average grocery prices in a major international retail store for 1 kg apples is USD$1.56, 1 kg oranges USD$0.92, 1 head lettuce USD$0.66, 1 kg potatos USD$0.46, 1 kg boneless, skinless, chicken breast USD$1.83, 1 kg cheddar cheese USD$3.20, 1 dozen large eggs USD$1.95, 500g loaf white bread USD$1.50, 1 L full cream milk USD$6.94, and 1.5 L water USD$0.61.

7) Healthcare: Cost is very low for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$430. Average healthcare cost for a private practice Doctor visit for an uninsured patient is USD$35, and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is USD$1,064.

8) Household Accommodation: Cost is low for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5,000 in New York costs USD$1550. Average expatriate house / apartment rent for a secure upmarket unfurnished apartment (3 bedrooms) is USD$1,952 in a central location, and USD$1,069 in a suburban location, per month, excluding utilities.

9) Miscellaneous: Cost is very low for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$150. Average price for dry cleaning (1 mens 2 pc suit) is USD$2.90, while an international newspaper is USD$0.89.

10) Personal Care: Cost is very low for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$225. Average cost for a mens haircut and blow dry is USD$18, while a womens hair colour, cut and blow dry - medium length is USD$90.

11) Recreation & Culture: Cost is very low for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$160. Average price for a latest release international cinema ticket (average of on and off peak where applicable) for one adult is USD$4.34, and an international fitness, recreation or sports club membership cost for one adult is USD$29 per month.

12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: Cost is very low for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$240. Average cappuccino price (regular, medium) is USD$1.89, coke/pepsi (330ml) USD$0.75, burger meal (international franchise or similar) USD$4.34, and a mid-range international restaurant meal for 2 USD$13.47.

13) Transport: Cost is very low for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1,000 in New York costs USD$430. Average average price over the last year for highest available octane petrol / gasoline (1L) is USD$3.23, while the benchmark car sedan purchase price including taxes/duties for a compact / small / economy vehicle (1.4 L) is USD$31,748.

How does the cost of living in Medan compare?

Medan is -37.3% cheaper than Houston TX for groceries, 32.9% more expensive for household costs than Kuala Lumpur, and -40.7% cheaper for transport costs than Dubai.

What is the quality of life / hardship in Medan?

Medan is ranked as a high degree of hardship location.The hardship premium for Medan for an expat from Perth, is for example 20%, i.e. host location (Medan) premium of 30% minus home (Perth) location premium of 10%.

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