Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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 Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $979 in Buzau.

Medellin $1,614
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $1,449 in Buzau.

Medellin $2,402
Buzau $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,919 in Buzau.

Medellin $3,190
Buzau $1,919

Living in Medellin is roughly 65% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Buzau is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$10.42 RON 49.30

-23.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$24.71 RON 117

86.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$6.30 RON 29.79

50.79%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.02 RON 9.58

53.96%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.93 RON 9.12

-5.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.50 RON 7.08

-8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.66 RON 7.85

83.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.71 RON 8.10

221.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.76 RON 8.32

-17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$1.31 RON 6.21

80.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.45 RON 6.84

15.86%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$3.10 RON 14.67

-7.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$7.50 RON 35.47

35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$6.62 RON 31.33

43.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.10 RON 52.5

26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$0.95 RON 4.50

328.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.63 RON 7.72

-7.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.11 RON 5.25

95.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.23 RON 5.83

87.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.67 RON 3.18

188.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.78 RON 3.68

110.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.48 RON 2.28

135.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.66 RON 3.11

89.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$6.24 RON 29.54

-36.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.43 RON 30.42

107.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$0.76 RON 3.58

123.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.43 RON 6.77

65.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.66 RON 3.10

83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$21.60 RON 102

254.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.52 RON 2.47

153.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.49 RON 2.32

336.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$6.19 RON 29.27

36.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.65 RON 7.81

-21.21%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$19.4K RON 91.7K

44.37%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$21.1K RON 100.0K

67.54%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$119 RON 563

44.74%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$7.87 RON 37.24

69.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$7.72 RON 36.53

272.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$32.03 RON 152

41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$17.85 RON 84.5

-4.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$6.89 RON 32.60

-8.85%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$285 RON 1,348

170.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$6,766 RON 32.0K

33.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$54.5 RON 258

58.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$57.7 RON 273

-0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$97.5 RON 461

40.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$84.1 RON 398

16.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$344 RON 1,629

206.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$292 RON 1,379

111.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$606 RON 2,867

212.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$423 RON 2,002

141.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,475 RON 6,976

175.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,194 RON 5,648

40.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$850 RON 4,021

-23.25%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 52.7% $324

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Buzau

$196 20% 33.5% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 37.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 22.3% $38

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 9.8% $16

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 70.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 20.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $344 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 30% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $25.00 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $196 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

23:50 11:50 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

115,494

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Buzau 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medellin and Buzau differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,614 vs $979 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Buzau. 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: $1,055 in Medellin versus $344 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $46.00 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.