Medan vs Anyang: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?
Anyang costs roughly 6.5x less than Medan. Medan leads on digital nomad infrastructure. Use our tool below to personalize the estimate based on your income and lifestyle.
Medan is approximately 8% less expensive than Anyang based on cost of living including rent. This makes Medan a more budget-friendly option for expats considering a move.
Medan has a FIRE Score of 77/100, indicating its suitability for financial independence and early retirement. The city's safety index is 55, suggesting moderate safety levels.
Recommended profile: Medan is ideal for GeoArbitragers and remote workers looking to maximize savings.
About Medan
Medan is a brutally cheap place to live, with a 1-bedroom outside the center at $89/mo and a monthly public transport pass at $6/mo, but the average local net salary of $216/mo means most expats are living on foreign income, not local wages. The catch is that both the Indonesia Retirement Visa (KITAS) and the Indonesia Remote Worker Visa (E33G) demand a minimum monthly income of $2,000/mo, which is nearly ten times what a local earns. Add limited English, a small expat community, fair healthcare, and a hot, humid climate with rain year-round, and Medan suits self-sufficient remote workers who want maximum savings over comfort. The FIRE score of 77/100 is the real draw here; the retiree score of 51/100 tells you this is not a soft landing.
About Indonesia
Skip this if you need English-speaking doctors or a fast path to citizenship, both weak here. But budget retirees can live well on $429.70/mo excl. rent plus sub-$320 rent, and the $2,000/mo Retirement KITAS is achievable. Best suited for low-cost-focused retirees, not remote workers facing the $387/mo nomad visa threshold.
$2,671/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
About Anyang
Anyang is a dirt-cheap industrial city where a single adult can live on $273/mo, with one-bedroom city-centre rent at $250/mo and a restaurant meal for $2. The catch is that the average monthly net salary is $436/mo, English proficiency is limited, and the expat community is very few, so you will not slide into an easy social scene. Air quality sits at 110 and the climate swings to extremes, which is rough for retirees scoring 62/100. Digital nomads and FIRE chasers get the real value here, with internet at $5/mo and 70 Mbps, but do not expect comfort beyond the basics.
About China
China works for remote workers and business expats fluent in navigating bureaucracy, not retirees seeking an easy landing. Rent outside the city center averages just $238.5/mo, backing the low COL index of 30.7. But with no retirement visa, no digital nomad visa, and an advisory level of 2, getting legal footing here is the real obstacle, not the budget.
$2,634/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
Which visa fits your move?
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| Metric | Medan | Anyang |
|---|---|---|
| 1BR Apartment (Center) | $230.5 | $250 |
| 1BR Apartment (Outside) | $89.41 | $180 |
| 3BR Apartment (Center) | $488.94 | $500 |
| 3BR Apartment (Outside) | $209.55 | $350 |
| Safety Index | 55 | 75 |
| Internet Speed | 20Mbps | 70Mbps |
| Walkability Score | N/A | N/A |
Monthly cost by categoryOne person, computed from each city's own average prices
| Category | Medan | Anyang |
|---|---|---|
| Total (rent included) | $354/mo | $389/mo |
| Excluding rent | $265/mo | $209/mo |
| Rent | $89.00/mo | $180/mo |
| Groceries | $89.00/mo | $80.00/mo |
| Dining out | $17.00/mo | $19.00/mo |
| Entertainment & lifestyle | $42.00/mo | $28.00/mo |
| Utilities & connectivity | $111/mo | $82.00/mo |
| Transport | $6.00/mo | N/A |
Usage-based estimates from this city's own average prices. A row marked N/A means that city is missing data, so no figure is shown instead of a stale one.
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