Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Onesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Onesti: $1,042 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
Learn more

Onesti Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Onesti

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $1,042 in Onesti, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Onesti $1,042

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,597 in Onesti, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Onesti $1,597

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $2,153 in Onesti, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Onesti $2,153

Medellin costs about 62% more than Onesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Onesti is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$10.35 RON 49.15

-19.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$41.83 RON 199

11.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.13 RON 33.85

32.82%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.97 RON 14.10

5.39%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$2.20 RON 10.46

-19.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.78 RON 8.45

-20.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$3.16 RON 15.02

-0.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$3.72 RON 17.67

53.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.04 RON 4.92

47.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.34 RON 6.37

70.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.92 RON 9.14

1.04%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.94 RON 13.95

4.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.46 RON 35.42

33.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$6.56 RON 31.15

59.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$10.11 RON 48.02

38.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.03 RON 4.90

293.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.45 RON 6.88

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.68 RON 7.99

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$2.06 RON 9.80

11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.80 RON 3.80

163.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.82 RON 3.89

108.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.12 RON 5.31

4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.61 RON 2.88

159.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$6.32 RON 30.02

-38.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$5.34 RON 25.36

162.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.34 RON 6.34

31.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.14 RON 10.14

26.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.70 RON 3.30

68.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$22.70 RON 108

236.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.80 RON 3.81

126.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.88 RON 4.16

142.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$8.57 RON 40.70

-5.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.43 RON 6.80

-10.49%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$28.5K RON 135.5K

20.73%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$26.1K RON 124.0K

30.75%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$186 RON 881

-4.22%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$7.43 RON 35.27

86.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$8.70 RON 41.30

253.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$36.79 RON 175

14.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$20.40 RON 96.9

-17.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$8.50 RON 40.37

-12.12%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$389 RON 1,847

103.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$7,819 RON 37.1K

57.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$37.62 RON 179

129.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$39.20 RON 186

51.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$94.7 RON 450

46.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$91.9 RON 437

7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$406 RON 1,929

230.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$261 RON 1,241

155.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$653 RON 3,099

202.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$464 RON 2,201

122.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,929 RON 9,161

112.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,329 RON 6,308

46.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$634 RON 3,012

1.87%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Onesti: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Onesti

$261 25.1% 60.8% $406

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Onesti

$197 18.9% 35.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Onesti

$202 19.4% 9.3% $21

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Onesti

$179 17.2% 3.7% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Onesti

$119 11.4% 31.2% $54

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Onesti

$31 2.9% 67.2% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Onesti

$54 5.2% 5.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $406 in Onesti. 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 $42 in Onesti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $197 – making Onesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Onesti

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

57,333

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 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 = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Onesti 10,440 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Onesti

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 Onesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 62%, 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 $1,563 in Onesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Onesti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $42 in Onesti. 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 $1,042 in Onesti. That makes Onesti about 38% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,692 in Medellin and $1,042 in Onesti. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Onesti is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 38% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.