Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $975 per month in Barlad vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Barlad $975
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Medellin $3,199

Barlad is about 40% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Barlad sits 28% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$8.30 COP 26.3K

7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-22.08%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$3.05 COP 9,676

-20.98%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$1.80 COP 5,707

2.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$1.38 COP 4,382

11.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-33.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-51.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.50 COP 4,760

-10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$2.37 COP 7,508

-52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.70 COP 5,377

-17.65%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$2.96 COP 9,379

14.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-26.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-46.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-74.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.53 COP 4,839

6.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$2.22 COP 7,052

-37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$2.27 COP 7,194

-22.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.99 COP 6,311

-60.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$1.67 COP 5,285

-53.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.18 COP 3,742

-28.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$1.24 COP 3,919

-28.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$3.87 COP 12.3K

71.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-59.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.66 COP 5,256

-27.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.40 COP 7,615

-32.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$1.24 COP 3,944

-58.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-74.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$1.28 COP 4,044

-43.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$2.15 COP 6,803

-66.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-16.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.35 COP 4,288

29.63%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-23.79%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-27.69%

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

$158 RON 748

$167 COP 528.4K

-5.15%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-34.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-71.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-24.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$17.18 COP 54.5K

5.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-5.16%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$790 COP 2.5M

-41.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-14.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-29.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-40.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$139 COP 440.7K

-47.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-60.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$620 COP 2.0M

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-65.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-49.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-55.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-25.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 Barlad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 131% $351

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 56.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 19.4% $34

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 12.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 50.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 24.9% $12

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 262% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Barlad versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $298 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

02:36 2:36 AM

8 h behind Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 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 RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barlad Medellin 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Barlad
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

Barlad vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Barlad, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad 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 Barlad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 293% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barlad. 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.