Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Barlad

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.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Barlad

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

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

Medellin $1,625
Barlad $975

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

Medellin $2,412
Barlad $1,521

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

Medellin $3,199
Barlad $2,066

Medellin costs about 67% more than Barlad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.96 RON 42.41

-7.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$41.38 RON 196

13.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.20 RON 34.06

28.33%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.41 RON 11.40

26.56%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.85 RON 8.75

-2.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.54 RON 7.27

-10.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.17 RON 10.25

49.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.69 RON 12.72

106.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.34 RON 6.34

11.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.12 RON 5.31

111.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.40 RON 6.63

21.43%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$3.39 RON 16.02

-12.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$7.51 RON 35.53

36.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.22 RON 24.69

86.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.04 RON 47.49

38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.04 RON 4.92

297.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.63 RON 7.73

-6.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.38 RON 6.54

60.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.76 RON 8.31

28.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.79 RON 3.75

151.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.77 RON 3.65

116.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.84 RON 3.99

40.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.89 RON 4.20

39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$6.64 RON 31.41

-41.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$5.58 RON 26.38

146.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.20 RON 5.68

38.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.62 RON 7.67

48.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.51 RON 2.40

143.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$19.88 RON 94.0

293.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.72 RON 3.42

77.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.73 RON 3.46

194.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$6.99 RON 33.08

19.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.75 RON 8.30

-22.86%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$26.5K RON 125.3K

31.21%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$25.1K RON 118.7K

38.29%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$158 RON 748

5.43%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$8.87 RON 41.95

53.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$8.36 RON 39.58

248.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$34.02 RON 161

32.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$18.05 RON 85.4

-4.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.61 RON 31.28

5.45%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$465 RON 2,202

69.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$7,715 RON 36.5K

17.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$62.0 RON 293

41.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$34.81 RON 165

67.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$72.7 RON 344

91.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$86.2 RON 408

14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$407 RON 1,927

152.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$269 RON 1,271

130.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$651 RON 3,081

188.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$505 RON 2,387

99.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,755 RON 8,305

127.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,263 RON 5,976

34.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 19, 2026

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Barlad

$269 27.6% 56.6% $351

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Barlad

$190 19.5% 36.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Barlad

$175 18% 16.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Barlad

$115 11.8% 33.4% $58

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Barlad

$152 15.6% 11% $19

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Barlad

$26 2.7% 72.4% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Barlad

$47 4.9% 20% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $407 in Barlad. 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $41.00 in Barlad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $190 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Barlad

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

77,518

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 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 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).

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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Barlad 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Barlad

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 Barlad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,462 in Barlad. 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 $790 per month in Medellin and $465 in Barlad. 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.