Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Alexandria, Romania

Name: Alexandria
Address: Alexandria, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $866 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Alexandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $866 in Alexandria.

Medellin $1,639
Alexandria $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,322 in Alexandria.

Medellin $2,413
Alexandria $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,778 in Alexandria.

Medellin $3,186
Alexandria $1,778

Living in Medellin is roughly 89% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.43 RON 40.17

-4.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$29.79 RON 142

57.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.52 RON 35.83

26.33%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,734

$1.69 RON 8.07

78.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.75 RON 8.35

2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,560

$1.43 RON 6.83

-1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.07 RON 9.86

53.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.47 RON 11.76

132.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,875

$1.43 RON 6.82

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,677

$0.87 RON 4.15

173.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,719

$1.13 RON 5.39

56.64%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,332

$2.11 RON 10.05

36.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$5.07 RON 24.17

100.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.41 RON 20.99

123.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$7.92 RON 37.75

76.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.91 RON 4.32

336.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,011

$1.18 RON 5.63

31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,047

$0.97 RON 4.63

124.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,050

$0.92 RON 4.37

136.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,336

$0.65 RON 3.08

201.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,131

$0.62 RON 2.93

156.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,698

$0.75 RON 3.58

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.83 RON 3.94

49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$5.29 RON 25.19

-25.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.21 RON 24.81

162.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.95 RON 4.54

74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,290

$1.07 RON 5.08

111.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,770

$0.65 RON 3.12

80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$41.63 RON 198

85.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.43 RON 2.05

195.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,611

$0.40 RON 1.90

412.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.33 RON 25.38

60.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,348

$1.76 RON 8.39

-23.30%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$16.5K RON 78.6K

106.46%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$22.4K RON 106.7K

54.76%

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

$170 COP 547.7K

$116 RON 552

46.48%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$5.26 RON 25.08

157.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$7.55 RON 35.96

271.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$57.9 RON 276

-24.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$24.58 RON 117

-30.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$6.09 RON 29.03

13.46%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$318 RON 1,515

150.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,749 RON 32.2K

35.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$52.0 RON 248

63.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.1K

$22.29 RON 106

160.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.7K

$62.0 RON 295

117.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$63.6 RON 303

53.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$309 RON 1,470

291.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$242 RON 1,151

165.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$573 RON 2,731

253.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$411 RON 1,960

145.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,269 RON 6,046

228.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$793 RON 3,780

140.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$846 RON 4,031

-22.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.73

62.56%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Alexandria

$242 27.9% 62.3% $400

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Alexandria

$151 17.4% 49.3% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Alexandria

$129 14.9% 39.1% $83

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Alexandria

$138 16% 18.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Alexandria

$90 10.4% 46.8% $79

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Alexandria

$47 5.4% 50.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Alexandria

$70 8.1% 21.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $309 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria pays 29% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $30 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $151 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

45,434

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Alexandria 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Alexandria

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

Medellin vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $309 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $866 in Alexandria – Alexandria is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 46% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alexandria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.