Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Drobeta-Turnu Severin

For one person, living is cheaper in Drobeta-Turnu Severin: $885 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
🇷🇴 Romania
$885
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin $885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $1,483 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin $1,483

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $2,081 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin $2,081

Living in Medellin is roughly 91% more expensive than in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Drobeta-Turnu Severin is 35% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$8.34 RON 39.64
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.1K
$41.68 RON 198
11.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.5K
$7.24 RON 34.41
30.80%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$3.20 RON 15.20
-2.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,696
$2.09 RON 9.95
-15.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,594
$1.80 RON 8.55
-21.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$3.07 RON 14.59
2.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$3.92 RON 18.62
45.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,943
$1.37 RON 6.52
11.68%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,389
$1.11 RON 5.28
106.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,273
$1.38 RON 6.56
40.58%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,889
$3.47 RON 16.52
-11.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.2K
$7.98 RON 37.92
25.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$5.80 RON 27.57
80.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.0K
$7.80 RON 37.09
78.97%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$1.19 RON 5.65
240.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,929
$1.56 RON 7.43
-1.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,786
$1.48 RON 7.04
41.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,397
$2.53 RON 12.04
-9.49%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,803
$0.71 RON 3.38
197.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,512
$0.61 RON 2.88
180.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,774
$1.04 RON 4.93
12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,096
$0.87 RON 4.15
81.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$6.02 RON 28.61
-35.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.3K
$7.16 RON 34.02
96.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,682
$0.91 RON 4.35
93.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,746
$1.38 RON 6.56
96.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,805
$0.63 RON 2.97
87.30%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.0K
$22.28 RON 106
242.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,827
$0.89 RON 4.25
103.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,867
$0.87 RON 4.16
144.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.2K
$9.31 RON 44.23
-12.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,113
$1.88 RON 8.92
-31.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.1M
$28.6K RON 135.9K
20.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.1M
$25.3K RON 120.2K
34.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 573.2K
$116 RON 551
53.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.8K
$8.90 RON 42.31
56.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.1K
$12.27 RON 58.3
150.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.3K
$32.17 RON 153
30.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.2K
$21.19 RON 101
-20.72%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$6.66 RON 31.64
12.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.5M
$435 RON 2,068
81.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$10.2K RON 48.7K
20.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.4K
$101 RON 479
-14.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.1K
$38.50 RON 183
53.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.2K
$86.8 RON 413
59.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 318.7K
$89.8 RON 427
10.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$385 RON 1,830
248.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$170 RON 808
292.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$603 RON 2,864
227.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$458 RON 2,179
125.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$1,630 RON 7,747
151.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,544 RON 7,337
25.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$914 RON 4,343
-29.29%
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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$170 74.5% $497
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$194 36.9% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$137 38.3% $85
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$166 4.1% $7
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$142 17.5% $30
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$30 67.9% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
$45 20.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,341 in Medellin and $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drobeta-Turnu Severin pays 41% 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 $42 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $194 per month, with Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇷🇴 Drobeta-Turnu Severin
🕒 Local time
22:05 10:05 PM
05:05 5:05 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
92,617
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Drobeta-Turnu Severin 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Drobeta-Turnu Severin

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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Drobeta-Turnu Severin cheaper than Medellin?
Drobeta-Turnu Severin is about 48% 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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
On paper, salaries run 29% 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 Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,341 in Medellin versus $385 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Drobeta-Turnu Severin runs roughly 71% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $435 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
At $885 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Drobeta-Turnu Severin but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Drobeta-Turnu Severin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Medellin or in Drobeta-Turnu Severin?
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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Drobeta-Turnu Severin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Medellin vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?