Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Medias

For one person, living is cheaper in Medias: $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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Medias
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Medias Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Medias

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Medias

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

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

Medellin $1,692
Medias $1,102

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,683 in Medias, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Medias $1,683

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,263 in Medias, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Medias $2,263

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

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Medias is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$11.14 RON 53.0

-25.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$51.8 RON 246

-10.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.35 RON 34.94

28.84%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$3.70 RON 17.59

-15.41%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$2.46 RON 11.68

-28.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$2.25 RON 10.71

-36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.20 RON 15.20

-1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.27 RON 15.55

74.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.23 RON 5.83

24.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$1.43 RON 6.77

60.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$1.73 RON 8.24

12.14%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$3.59 RON 17.05

-14.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$8.65 RON 41.13

15.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$6.69 RON 31.82

56.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$12.89 RON 61.3

8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.48 RON 7.02

173.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$1.48 RON 7.04

3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$1.55 RON 7.35

35.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$2.58 RON 12.28

-11.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.77 RON 3.66

174.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.75 RON 3.57

128.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.80 RON 3.78

46.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.75 RON 3.57

110.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$6.21 RON 29.50

-37.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$7.54 RON 35.85

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.23 RON 5.83

43.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$1.80 RON 8.56

50.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.70 RON 3.32

68.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

$23.96 RON 114

218.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.66 RON 3.14

174.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.68 RON 3.23

213.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$6.60 RON 31.35

23.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.38 RON 6.56

-7.25%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$29.0K RON 137.9K

18.69%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$25.2K RON 120.0K

35.21%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$180 RON 857

-1.46%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$7.25 RON 34.47

91.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$9.26 RON 43.99

231.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$37.03 RON 176

13.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$20.31 RON 96.6

-17.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$6.12 RON 29.10

22.06%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$438 RON 2,082

80.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$7,770 RON 36.9K

58.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$52.3 RON 249

64.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$35.51 RON 169

66.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$73.5 RON 349

88.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$90.8 RON 432

8.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$389 RON 1,850

244.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$292 RON 1,389

128.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$602 RON 2,862

228.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$453 RON 2,152

128.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.2M

$2,039 RON 9,690

101.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,480 RON 7,036

31.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

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 Medias: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Medias

$292 26.5% 56.2% $375

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Medias

$222 20.2% 27.7% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Medias

$197 17.9% 11.5% $25

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Medias

$197 17.9% 14.1% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Medias

$113 10.3% 34.1% $59

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Medias

$31 2.8% 67% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Medias

$49 4.5% 13.4% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $389 in Medias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $52 in Medias. Groceries tell a different story – $307 in Medellin vs $222 in Medias – so Medias wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Medias

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

53,564

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Medias 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Medias

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 Medias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,653 in Medias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medias, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $52 in Medias. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $1,102 in Medias. That makes Medias about 35% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medias, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Medias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medias – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.