Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bacau

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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Bacau
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Bacau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bacau

🇷🇴 Romania

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bacau

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 Bacau actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Medellin $1,639
Bacau $916

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

Medellin $2,413
Bacau $1,552

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

Medellin $3,186
Bacau $2,189

Medellin costs about 79% more than Bacau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$14.19 RON 68.2

-42.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$84.6 RON 407

-44.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.24 RON 34.80

31.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.04 RON 9.81

47.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.01 RON 9.64

-10.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.87 RON 8.98

-24.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.47 RON 11.88

28.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.34 RON 16.03

72.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.18 RON 5.68

27.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.70 RON 3.35

240.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.69 RON 8.12

4.73%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.47 RON 16.67

-16.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.68 RON 36.91

32.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.33 RON 25.61

85.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$8.30 RON 39.88

68.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.10 RON 5.27

260.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.48 RON 7.12

4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.49 RON 7.14

46.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.83 RON 8.80

19.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.72 RON 3.48

172.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.68 RON 3.29

133.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.75 RON 3.58

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.72 RON 3.45

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.35 RON 25.71

-25.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$5.25 RON 25.24

160.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.02 RON 4.90

62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.17 RON 5.64

93.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.70 RON 3.35

67.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$29.15 RON 140

165.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.61 RON 2.94

108.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.65 RON 3.12

215.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.72 RON 32.31

27.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.78 RON 8.55

-24.16%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.9K RON 138.9K

17.90%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$24.8K RON 119.4K

39.57%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$106 RON 509

60.11%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$7.47 RON 35.90

81.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$4.63 RON 22.25

506.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$25.29 RON 122

72.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$15.98 RON 76.8

7.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$6.09 RON 29.25

13.46%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$589 RON 2,830

35.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$4,986 RON 24.0K

82.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$85.0 RON 409

-0.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$31.98 RON 154

81.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$60.3 RON 290

123.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$83.2 RON 400

17.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$416 RON 1,999

190.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$236 RON 1,135

171.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$549 RON 2,636

269.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$405 RON 1,945

149.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$1,805 RON 8,673

131.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,229 RON 5,905

55.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$936 RON 4,501

-29.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.97

56.96%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bacau: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bacau

$236 25.8% 63.2% $405

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bacau

$177 19.3% 40.5% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bacau

$118 12.9% 44.1% $93

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bacau

$194 21.2% 14.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bacau

$117 12.8% 30.6% $52

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bacau

$36 3.9% 61.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bacau

$37 4.1% 34.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $416 in Bacau. 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 $47 in Medellin versus $85 in Bacau. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $177 in Bacau – so Bacau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Bacau

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

144,307

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bacau 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bacau

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 Bacau: 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 $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,373 in Bacau. 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 $47 in Medellin and $85 in Bacau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $916 in Bacau. 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.