Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iasi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,256 per month in Iasi vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Iasi $1,256
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,841 per month in Iasi vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Iasi $1,841
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,425 per month in Iasi vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Iasi $2,425
Medellin $3,186

Iasi is about 23% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Iasi sits 8% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.50 RON 50.5

$8.09 COP 25.4K

29.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 RON 203

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-10.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.18 RON 34.49

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-24.42%

Cappuccino

$2.95 RON 14.19

$3.01 COP 9,485

-1.99%

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

$2.28 RON 10.95

$1.80 COP 5,660

26.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.54

$1.41 COP 4,443

26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 RON 15.37

$3.18 COP 9,990

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 RON 18.44

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-33.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 RON 7.45

$1.51 COP 4,751

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.31

$2.38 COP 7,480

-44.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 RON 9.49

$1.77 COP 5,573

11.30%

Eggs

$3.25 RON 15.64

$2.89 COP 9,093

12.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 RON 39.57

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-19.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 RON 31.66

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 RON 48.38

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-28.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-67.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.77

$1.55 COP 4,883

4.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$2.18 COP 6,867

-22.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.20

$2.18 COP 6,870

-2.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.12

$1.96 COP 6,174

-56.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.96

$1.59 COP 5,000

-48.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 RON 5.30

$1.15 COP 3,604

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 RON 4.51

$1.24 COP 3,911

-24.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 RON 29.38

$3.96 COP 12.5K

54.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 RON 31.92

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-51.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.43

$1.66 COP 5,221

-19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RON 10.17

$2.26 COP 7,103

-6.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 RON 4.09

$1.17 COP 3,674

-27.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 RON 132

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-64.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$1.27 COP 3,989

-37.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$2.05 COP 6,442

-57.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 RON 39.10

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-4.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.24

$1.35 COP 4,237

42.22%

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

$28.6K RON 137.4K

$34.1K COP 107.2M

-16.08%

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

$25.8K RON 124.2K

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-25.46%

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

$181 RON 870

$170 COP 533.7K

6.76%

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

$7.28 RON 35.01

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-46.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 RON 39.41

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-70.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 RON 211

$43.70 COP 137.5K

0.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.95 RON 76.7

$17.19 COP 54.1K

-7.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 RON 41.24

$6.91 COP 21.7K

24.17%

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

$385 RON 1,853

$797 COP 2.5M

-51.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,965 RON 33.5K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-23.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 RON 354

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-13.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.25 RON 184

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-34.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 RON 442

$135 COP 424.6K

-31.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.0 RON 428

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 RON 2,607

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-55.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 RON 2,090

$642 COP 2.0M

-32.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 RON 4,020

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-58.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 RON 3,100

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-36.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 RON 13.4K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-32.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,907 RON 9,166

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,130 RON 5,429

$657 COP 2.1M

71.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

10.94

-34.37%

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

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iasi

$435 34.6%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 47.5% $207

Groceries & Markets

Iasi

$215 17.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 38.1% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iasi

$197 15.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 7.5% $15

Eating Out

Iasi

$181 14.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 6.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Iasi

$132 10.5%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 28.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Iasi

$61 4.9%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 5.8% $3.6

Getting Around

Iasi

$36 2.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 160% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $542 in Iasi 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 72% higher in Iasi, 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 $42 in Iasi versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $297 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Iasi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

7 h behind Iasi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

290,422

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

Iasi Medellin 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Iasi
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

Iasi vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,256 in Iasi, $1,639 in Medellin – Iasi comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,884 per month in Iasi 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 Iasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $542 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $385 per month in Iasi and $797 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,256 in Iasi and $1,639 in Medellin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,256 in Iasi to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Iasi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.