Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Cahul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $627 in Cahul.

Medellin $1,639
Cahul $627

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $917 in Cahul.

Medellin $2,413
Cahul $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,207 in Cahul.

Medellin $3,186
Cahul $1,207

Living in Medellin is roughly 161% more expensive than in Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Cahul is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.19 MDL 146

-1.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$23.41 MDL 417

100.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$10.36 MDL 185

-8.30%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.69 MDL 30.11

78.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.11 MDL 19.82

62.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.53 MDL 9.53

166.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.01 MDL 35.81

58.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.76 MDL 31.45

226.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.20 MDL 21.36

25.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.49 MDL 8.72

385.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.60 MDL 28.45

10.62%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.24 MDL 39.89

29.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.51 MDL 116

56.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.54 MDL 80.9

117.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.17 MDL 110

126.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.98 MDL 17.39

305.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$2.19 MDL 39.09

-29.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.81 MDL 32.25

20.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$2.37 MDL 42.33

-8.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.76 MDL 13.54

157.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.52 MDL 9.22

205.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.43 MDL 7.74

167.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.53 MDL 9.50

133.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.39 MDL 60.5

16.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$4.38 MDL 78.1

212.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.41 MDL 25.19

17.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.97 MDL 35.06

14.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.27 MDL 4.81

333.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$2.87 MDL 51.1

-55.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.24 MDL 4.27

754.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$5.44 MDL 97.0

57.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.56 MDL 27.74

-13.46%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

2.35%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

41.94%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$221 MDL 3,948

-23.39%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$7.65 MDL 136

77.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$11.03 MDL 197

154.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.62 MDL 136

-9.32%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$110 MDL 1,964

623.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

73.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$45.08 MDL 804

87.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$56.4 MDL 1,005

139.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$51.0 MDL 909

92.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$507 MDL 9,048

29.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

36.75%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Cahul

$161 25.7% 45.7% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Cahul

$240 38.3% 13.7% $29

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Cahul

$137 21.8% 19.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Cahul

$69 * 10.9% 59.4% $100

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8% 94.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 73.5% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $23 in Cahul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $161 per month, with Cahul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

04:31 4:31 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

39,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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 = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.91 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Cahul 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Medellin, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 84% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $627 in Cahul – Cahul is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul 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.

It comes down to priorities – Cahul wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.