Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,016 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,016 in Calafat, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Calafat $1,016

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,499 in Calafat, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Calafat $1,499

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,982 in Calafat, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Calafat $1,982

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$7.35 RON 34.92

13.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$38.38 RON 182

21.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.21 RON 34.23

31.35%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.14 RON 10.14

46.26%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.44 RON 6.82

22.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.87 RON 4.11

63.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.08 RON 5.11

191.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$1.83 RON 8.71

211.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.12 RON 5.30

36.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.76 RON 3.63

201.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.35 RON 6.39

43.70%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.33 RON 11.06

31.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.69 RON 31.78

49.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$6.35 RON 30.13

64.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$6.24 RON 29.61

123.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.01 RON 4.80

300.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.49 RON 7.07

2.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.28 RON 6.06

64.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.44 RON 6.84

59.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.60 RON 2.86

251.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.75 RON 3.56

128.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.69 RON 3.28

69.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.71 RON 3.38

122.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$5.31 RON 25.19

-26.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.27 RON 29.76

123.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.88 RON 4.16

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.45 RON 6.90

86.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.75 RON 3.55

57.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$22.34 RON 106

241.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.53 RON 2.53

241.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.51 RON 2.42

317.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$9.77 RON 46.39

-16.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.51 RON 7.15

-15.23%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$25.5K RON 120.9K

35.26%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$25.5K RON 121.1K

33.82%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$214 RON 1,017

-17.04%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$7.55 RON 35.87

83.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$6.33 RON 30.04

385.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$37.82 RON 180

10.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$19.06 RON 90.5

-11.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$7.40 RON 35.13

0.95%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$412 RON 1,958

91.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$8,151 RON 38.7K

50.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$63.5 RON 302

35.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$42.04 RON 200

40.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$84.2 RON 400

64.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$83.5 RON 396

18.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$380 RON 1,805

252.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$294 RON 1,398

126.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$617 RON 2,928

220.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$468 RON 2,220

120.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,910 RON 9,070

114.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,190 RON 5,652

62.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$812 RON 3,856

-20.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

82.33%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Calafat

$294 29% 55.9% $373

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Calafat

$165 16.2% 46.4% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Calafat

$228 22.5% 2.6% $5.8

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Calafat

$124 12.3% 28% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Calafat

$123 12.1% 28.6% $49

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Calafat

$28 2.8% 69.6% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Calafat

$53 5.2% 7.5% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $380 in Calafat. 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 26% higher in Calafat, 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 $38 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $165 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

17:05 5:05 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,500

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 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 Calafat 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Medellin, $1,016 in Calafat – Calafat comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,523 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,016 in Calafat. That makes Calafat about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 71% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,692 in Medellin and $1,016 in Calafat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

For expats, Calafat is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.