Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Leova

For one person, living is cheaper in Leova: $1,341 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Leova
Learn more

Leova Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Leova

🇲🇩 Moldova

$1,341

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Leova

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,341 in Leova.

Medellin $1,639
Leova $1,341

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $2,057 in Leova.

Medellin $2,413
Leova $2,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,773 in Leova.

Medellin $3,186
Leova $2,773

Living in Medellin is roughly 22% more expensive than in Leova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$10.31 MDL 184

-21.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$33.24 MDL 594

41.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$8.94 MDL 160

6.26%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$0.81 MDL 14.57

271.60%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.49 MDL 8.72

267.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.40 MDL 7.23

252.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.48 MDL 44.42

28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.64 MDL 47.13

117.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.69 MDL 30.16

-10.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.47 MDL 26.27

61.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.38 MDL 24.63

28.26%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.36 MDL 24.39

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$13.70 MDL 245

-25.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.29 MDL 41.01

331.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$4.03 MDL 72.0

247.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.28 MDL 22.86

210.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.86 MDL 15.35

80.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$0.94 MDL 16.78

131.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.09 MDL 19.46

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.52 MDL 27.23

28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.53 MDL 9.52

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.46 MDL 8.29

150.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.98 MDL 17.56

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.41 MDL 78.9

-10.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$14.81 MDL 265

-7.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.13 MDL 20.23

46.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.67 MDL 47.75

-15.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.37 MDL 6.70

216.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$27.71 MDL 495

179.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$2.72 MDL 48.62

-53.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.54 MDL 9.58

279.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$3.42 MDL 61.2

150.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.35 MDL 24.13

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$34.1K MDL 609.5K

-0.06%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$34.0K MDL 607.0K

2.12%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$184 MDL 3,285

-7.67%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$5.51 MDL 98.6

145.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.70 MDL 370

35.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$83.2 MDL 1,488

-47.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$11.26 MDL 201

52.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$4.52 MDL 80.8

52.88%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$83.7 MDL 1,496

1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$54.4 MDL 972

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$95.4 MDL 1,705

41.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$110 MDL 1,965

-10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$641 MDL 11.5K

88.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$521 MDL 9,320

23.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,506 MDL 26.9K

34.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,086 MDL 19.4K

-6.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,489 MDL 44.5K

67.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,885 MDL 33.7K

1.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$653 MDL 11.7K

0.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.19

52.16%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Leova: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Leova

$521 38.9% 18.8% $120

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Leova

$188 14% 36.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Leova

$210 15.7% 0.6% $1.3

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Leova

$140 10.5% 17.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Leova

$154 11.5% 8.6% $15

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Leova

$35 2.6% 63% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Leova

$92 6.9% 60.4% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $641 in Leova. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $33 in Leova for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $188 per month, with Leova cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇩 Leova

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

10,900

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Leova 10,550 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Leova

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 Leova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Leova is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $2,011 in Leova to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $641 in Leova. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,341 in Leova – Leova is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,341 in Leova versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Leova but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Leova the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Leova gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.