Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Giurgiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Giurgiu: $1,102 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Giurgiu, Romania
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,692
/mo nomad
Giurgiu
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,102
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Giurgiu

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,102 in Giurgiu, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,692
  • Giurgiu $1,102

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,693 in Giurgiu, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,471
  • Giurgiu $1,693

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,284 in Giurgiu, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,249
  • Giurgiu $2,284

Medellin costs about 54% more than Giurgiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Giurgiu is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.34 COP 26.9K
$11.21 RON 53.3
-25.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.53 COP 150.3K
$52.7 RON 250
-11.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 COP 30.6K
$7.51 RON 35.69
26.10%
Cappuccino
$3.13 COP 10.1K
$3.69 RON 17.52
-15.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 COP 5,705
$2.44 RON 11.59
-27.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 COP 4,601
$2.23 RON 10.58
-36.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.15 COP 10.2K
$3.13 RON 14.87
0.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 COP 18.4K
$3.43 RON 16.32
66.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.53 COP 4,950
$1.60 RON 7.62
-4.38%
White Bread (500g)
$2.29 COP 7,401
$1.42 RON 6.74
61.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 COP 6,282
$1.69 RON 8.02
14.79%
Eggs
$3.07 COP 9,905
$3.62 RON 17.18
-15.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 COP 32.3K
$8.83 RON 41.97
13.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.45 COP 33.7K
$6.76 RON 32.11
54.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.96 COP 45.1K
$12.78 RON 60.7
9.23%
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 COP 13.1K
$1.50 RON 7.15
170.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 COP 4,937
$1.55 RON 7.38
-1.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.10 COP 6,797
$1.59 RON 7.54
32.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.29 COP 7,409
$2.62 RON 12.45
-12.60%
Potato (1kg)
$2.11 COP 6,813
$0.76 RON 3.60
177.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 COP 5,521
$0.81 RON 3.83
111.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 COP 3,780
$0.81 RON 3.85
44.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 COP 5,104
$0.79 RON 3.76
100.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.91 COP 12.6K
$5.99 RON 28.46
-34.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.04 COP 45.4K
$7.48 RON 35.52
87.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 COP 5,690
$1.22 RON 5.81
44.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 COP 8,760
$1.77 RON 8.41
53.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.18 COP 3,811
$0.76 RON 3.61
55.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.3 COP 246.4K
$22.27 RON 106
242.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 COP 5,836
$0.68 RON 3.22
166.18%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 COP 6,878
$0.63 RON 2.97
238.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.13 COP 26.3K
$6.36 RON 30.23
27.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 COP 4,119
$1.86 RON 8.83
-31.18%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K COP 111.2M
$28.8K RON 137.0K
19.43%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K COP 110.3M
$25.7K RON 122.0K
32.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$178 COP 574.1K
$181 RON 862
-2.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.89 COP 44.9K
$7.15 RON 33.97
94.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.74 COP 99.3K
$8.93 RON 42.41
244.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.94 COP 135.5K
$42.94 RON 204
-2.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.80 COP 54.3K
$21.83 RON 104
-23.04%
Cinema Ticket
$7.47 COP 24.1K
$9.24 RON 43.90
-19.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$790 COP 2.6M
$444 RON 2,108
78.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K COP 39.7M
$7,626 RON 36.2K
61.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.3 COP 278.9K
$50.8 RON 241
69.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.3 COP 191.4K
$35.38 RON 168
67.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$138 COP 446.9K
$76.2 RON 362
81.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.8 COP 319.2K
$88.7 RON 422
11.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,341 COP 4.3M
$335 RON 1,592
300.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$667 COP 2.2M
$276 RON 1,311
141.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,976 COP 6.4M
$642 RON 3,048
207.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,033 COP 3.3M
$431 RON 2,048
139.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,098 COP 13.2M
$1,909 RON 9,069
114.69%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,940 COP 6.3M
$1,195 RON 5,678
62.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Giurgiu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$646 COP 2.1M
$897 RON 4,261
-27.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
7.23
51.31%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Giurgiu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$667
Giurgiu
$276 58.6% $391
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$307
Giurgiu
$228 26% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$222
Giurgiu
$198 11.2% $25
Eating Out
Medellin
$173
Giurgiu
$198 14.5% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$172
Giurgiu
$113 34.4% $59
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Giurgiu
$29 68.9% $64
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$57
Giurgiu
$61 8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $335 in Giurgiu. 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 39% higher in Giurgiu, 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 $53 in Giurgiu. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $228 in Giurgiu – so Giurgiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇷🇴 Giurgiu
🕒 Local time
02:32 2:32 AM
09:32 9:32 AM
7 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
61,353
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,230 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,628 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Giurgiu 10,440 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Giurgiu

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 Giurgiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Giurgiu cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,653 in Giurgiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Giurgiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 71% less in Giurgiu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $444 in Giurgiu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Giurgiu?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Giurgiu, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Giurgiu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Giurgiu more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Giurgiu – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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