Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Iasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Iasi: $1,256 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Iasi
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Iasi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Iasi

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,256

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Iasi

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,256 in Iasi, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Iasi $1,256

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,841 in Iasi, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Iasi $1,841

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,425 in Iasi, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Iasi $2,425

Medellin costs about 30% more than Iasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Iasi is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.50 RON 50.5

-22.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$42.22 RON 203

11.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.18 RON 34.49

32.31%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.95 RON 14.19

2.03%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.28 RON 10.95

-21.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.78 RON 8.54

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.20 RON 15.37

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.84 RON 18.44

49.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.55 RON 7.45

-2.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.31 RON 6.31

81.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.97 RON 9.49

-10.15%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.25 RON 15.64

-11.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.23 RON 39.57

23.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$6.59 RON 31.66

49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$10.07 RON 48.38

38.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.31 RON 6.29

203.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.62 RON 7.77

-4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.68 RON 8.05

29.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$2.12 RON 10.20

2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.86 RON 4.12

127.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.82 RON 3.96

93.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.10 RON 5.30

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.94 RON 4.51

31.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$6.11 RON 29.38

-35.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$6.64 RON 31.92

106.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.34 RON 6.43

23.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.12 RON 10.17

6.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.85 RON 4.09

37.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$27.49 RON 132

181.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.80 RON 3.85

58.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.87 RON 4.18

135.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$8.14 RON 39.10

5.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.92 RON 9.24

-29.69%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.6K RON 137.4K

19.16%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$25.8K RON 124.2K

34.16%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$181 RON 870

-6.33%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$7.28 RON 35.01

86.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$8.20 RON 39.41

242.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$43.94 RON 211

-0.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$15.95 RON 76.7

7.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.58 RON 41.24

-19.46%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$385 RON 1,853

106.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,965 RON 33.5K

30.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$73.6 RON 354

15.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$38.25 RON 184

51.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$92.0 RON 442

46.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$89.0 RON 428

9.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$542 RON 2,607

122.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$435 RON 2,090

47.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$836 RON 4,020

142.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$645 RON 3,100

56.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,797 RON 13.4K

49.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,907 RON 9,166

0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,130 RON 5,429

-41.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.18

52.37%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Iasi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Iasi

$435 34.6% 32.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Iasi

$215 17.1% 27.6% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Iasi

$197 15.7% 6.9% $15

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Iasi

$181 14.4% 6.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Iasi

$132 10.5% 22% $37

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Iasi

$36 2.9% 61.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Iasi

$61 4.9% 6.2% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $542 in Iasi. 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 72% higher in Iasi, 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 $42 in Iasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $215 – making Iasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Iasi

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

290,422

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Iasi 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Iasi

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 Iasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $1,256 in Iasi – Iasi comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,884 in Iasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $542 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Iasi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $385 in Iasi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,256 in Iasi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,256 in Iasi to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

For expats, Iasi is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 23% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.