Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Constanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Constanta: $1,318 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Constanta, Romania
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Constanta
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,318
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Constanta

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,318 in Constanta.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Constanta $1,318

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,960 in Constanta.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Constanta $1,960

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,603 in Constanta.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Constanta $2,603

Living in Medellin is roughly 24% more expensive than in Constanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Constanta is 3% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.4K
$12.62 RON 60.7
-35.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.0K
$63.2 RON 304
-25.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 29.9K
$7.41 RON 35.61
28.21%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,485
$3.27 RON 15.74
-7.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,660
$1.79 RON 8.61
0.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,443
$1.23 RON 5.90
14.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 9,990
$2.20 RON 10.59
44.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.1K
$3.21 RON 15.43
79.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,751
$1.65 RON 7.91
-8.48%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,480
$1.21 RON 5.83
96.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,573
$1.63 RON 7.83
8.59%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,093
$2.89 RON 13.89
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.1K
$8.78 RON 42.20
16.06%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.1K
$5.79 RON 27.83
70.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.0K
$9.01 RON 43.32
55.27%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.5K
$1.36 RON 6.52
191.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,883
$1.58 RON 7.57
-1.90%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,867
$1.54 RON 7.39
41.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,870
$2.58 RON 12.41
-15.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,174
$0.91 RON 4.37
115.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,000
$0.97 RON 4.68
63.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,604
$1.01 RON 4.86
13.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,911
$0.83 RON 3.98
49.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$6.35 RON 30.51
-37.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.0K
$6.21 RON 29.86
120.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,221
$1.00 RON 4.83
66.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,103
$1.76 RON 8.45
28.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,674
$0.62 RON 2.97
88.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 243.4K
$18.71 RON 89.9
313.52%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 3,989
$0.88 RON 4.21
44.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,442
$0.73 RON 3.52
180.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 26.9K
$7.24 RON 34.81
18.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,237
$1.91 RON 9.19
-29.32%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.2M
$28.8K RON 138.3K
18.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.1M
$25.3K RON 121.8K
36.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 533.7K
$169 RON 811
0.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.6K
$7.47 RON 35.88
81.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.3K
$7.48 RON 35.94
275.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 137.5K
$52.1 RON 251
-16.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.1K
$13.45 RON 64.6
27.81%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.7K
$6.96 RON 33.45
-0.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$552 RON 2,655
44.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.7M
$7,704 RON 37.0K
18.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 266.5K
$64.9 RON 312
30.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 182.3K
$45.42 RON 218
27.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 424.6K
$87.5 RON 420
54.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 307.9K
$85.6 RON 412
14.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$691 RON 3,322
74.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$519 RON 2,495
23.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$1,051 RON 5,053
92.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$746 RON 3,585
35.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.1M
$2,582 RON 12.4K
61.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$1,968 RON 9,458
-2.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Constanta
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$934 RON 4,489
-29.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
6.99
56.51%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Constanta: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Constanta
$519 19.1% $122
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Constanta
$204 31.3% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Constanta
$184 13% $28
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Constanta
$192 13.2% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Constanta
$128 24.5% $41
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Constanta
$26 72.5% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Constanta
$66 14.8% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $691 in Constanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Constanta pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $63 in Constanta. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $204, with Constanta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇷🇴 Constanta
🕒 Local time
16:50 4:50 PM
23:50 11:50 PM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
283,872
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Constanta 10,640 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Constanta

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 Constanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Constanta cheaper than Medellin?
Constanta is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Medellin or Constanta?
On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Medellin and Constanta?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $691 in Constanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Constanta?
Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $63 in Constanta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Medellin and in Constanta?
All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,318 in Constanta – Constanta is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Constanta?
At $1,318 in Constanta versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Constanta but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Constanta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Constanta?
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.

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