Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Buzias

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzias: $974 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Buzias
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Buzias Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Buzias

🇷🇴 Romania

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Buzias

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $974 in Buzias, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Buzias $974

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,553 in Buzias, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Buzias $1,553

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,131 in Buzias, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Buzias $2,131

Medellin costs about 74% more than Buzias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Buzias is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$8.19 RON 38.91

1.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$42.63 RON 203

9.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.42 RON 35.29

27.63%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.10 RON 14.73

0.97%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$2.04 RON 9.68

-13.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$1.74 RON 8.25

-18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.20 RON 15.21

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.90 RON 18.52

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.38 RON 6.56

10.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.16 RON 5.52

97.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.40 RON 6.65

38.57%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$3.37 RON 16.01

-8.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$8.01 RON 38.06

24.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.95 RON 28.27

75.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$8.03 RON 38.16

73.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.20 RON 5.71

237.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.50 RON 7.13

2.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.43 RON 6.80

46.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.51 RON 11.91

-8.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.70 RON 3.33

201.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.62 RON 2.92

175.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.03 RON 4.91

13.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.91 RON 4.35

73.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$5.96 RON 28.34

-34.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.20 RON 34.23

95.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$0.92 RON 4.36

91.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.38 RON 6.55

96.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.65 RON 3.11

81.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$25.15 RON 120

203.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.98 RON 4.63

84.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.85 RON 4.03

150.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$9.70 RON 46.09

-16.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.98 RON 9.39

-35.35%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$28.1K RON 133.5K

22.63%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$25.8K RON 122.7K

32.23%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$113 RON 536

57.70%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$9.21 RON 43.80

50.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$12.28 RON 58.4

150.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$34.25 RON 163

22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$20.52 RON 97.5

-18.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.72 RON 31.96

11.16%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$447 RON 2,124

76.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$10.3K RON 48.7K

19.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$99.3 RON 472

-13.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$38.49 RON 183

53.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$87.6 RON 416

57.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$89.1 RON 423

10.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$416 RON 1,975

222.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$258 RON 1,226

158.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$651 RON 3,093

203.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$499 RON 2,374

106.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$1,636 RON 7,775

150.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,222 RON 5,806

58.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.02

55.84%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buzias: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Buzias

$258 26.5% 61.3% $409

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Buzias

$196 20.1% 36.3% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Buzias

$134 13.8% 39.6% $88

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Buzias

$164 16.8% 5.1% $8.8

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Buzias

$142 14.5% 17.8% $31

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Buzias

$33 3.4% 64.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Buzias

$48 4.9% 16.2% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $416 in Buzias. 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 in Medellin versus $43 in Buzias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $196 – making Buzias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Buzias

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

05:04 5:04 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

7,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 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 Buzias 10,070 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Buzias

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 Buzias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,461 in Buzias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buzias, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Buzias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $447 in Buzias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Buzias – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Buzias is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 42% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.