Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bacau and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacau: $916 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Bacau vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Bacau $916
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,552 per month in Bacau vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Bacau $1,552
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,189 per month in Bacau vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Bacau $2,189
Medellin $3,186

Bacau is about 44% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bacau sits 33% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.19 RON 68.2

$8.09 COP 25.4K

75.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 RON 407

$47.05 COP 148.0K

79.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.80

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-23.79%

Cappuccino

$2.04 RON 9.81

$3.01 COP 9,485

-32.23%

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

$2.01 RON 9.64

$1.80 COP 5,660

11.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 8.98

$1.41 COP 4,443

32.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.47 RON 11.88

$3.18 COP 9,990

-22.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 RON 16.03

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-41.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.68

$1.51 COP 4,751

-21.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$2.38 COP 7,480

-70.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.12

$1.77 COP 5,573

-4.52%

Eggs

$3.47 RON 16.67

$2.89 COP 9,093

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 RON 36.91

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 RON 25.61

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-46.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.30 RON 39.88

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-40.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.27

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-72.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.12

$1.55 COP 4,883

-4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.14

$2.18 COP 6,867

-31.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 RON 8.80

$2.18 COP 6,870

-16.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.48

$1.96 COP 6,174

-63.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.29

$1.59 COP 5,000

-57.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.58

$1.15 COP 3,604

-34.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$1.24 COP 3,911

-41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.35 RON 25.71

$3.96 COP 12.5K

35.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.25 RON 25.24

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-61.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.90

$1.66 COP 5,221

-38.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.64

$2.26 COP 7,103

-48.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$1.17 COP 3,674

-40.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.15 RON 140

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-62.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.94

$1.27 COP 3,989

-51.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 RON 3.12

$2.05 COP 6,442

-68.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 RON 32.31

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-21.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 RON 8.55

$1.35 COP 4,237

31.85%

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

$28.9K RON 138.9K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-15.18%

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

$24.8K RON 119.4K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-28.35%

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

$106 RON 509

$170 COP 533.7K

-37.54%

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

$7.47 RON 35.90

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-44.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.63 RON 22.25

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-83.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.29 RON 122

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-42.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.98 RON 76.8

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-7.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 RON 29.25

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-11.87%

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

$589 RON 2,830

$797 COP 2.5M

-26.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,986 RON 24.0K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-45.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 RON 409

$84.7 COP 266.5K

0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 RON 154

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-44.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.3 RON 290

$135 COP 424.6K

-55.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 RON 400

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$416 RON 1,999

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-65.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 RON 1,135

$642 COP 2.0M

-63.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 RON 2,636

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-72.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 RON 1,945

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-59.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 RON 8,673

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-56.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 RON 5,905

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-35.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$936 RON 4,501

$657 COP 2.1M

42.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

10.94

-36.29%

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

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bacau

$236 25.8%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 172% $405

Eating Out

Bacau

$194 21.2%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 12.7% $25

Groceries & Markets

Bacau

$177 19.3%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 68.2% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacau

$118 12.9%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 79% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Bacau

$117 12.8%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 44.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Bacau

$37 4.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 53.5% $20

Getting Around

Bacau

$36 3.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 161% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $416 in Bacau 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 run about 43% higher in Bacau, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau versus $47 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Bacau vs $297 in Medellin – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bacau

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

19:43 7:43 PM

12:43 12:43 PM

7 h behind Bacau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

144,307

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 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 RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bacau Medellin 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bacau
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

Bacau vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,373 per month in Bacau 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 Bacau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bacau 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 $916 in Bacau and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 79%.

Families tend to lean toward Bacau – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.