Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ploiesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Ploiesti: $1,072 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Ploiesti
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Ploiesti Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Ploiesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ploiesti

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $1,072 in Ploiesti, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Ploiesti $1,072

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $1,631 in Ploiesti, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Ploiesti $1,631

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $2,191 in Ploiesti, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Ploiesti $2,191

Medellin costs about 48% more than Ploiesti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Ploiesti is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$11.59 RON 54.8

-30.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$45.91 RON 217

1.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$7.99 RON 37.79

18.02%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$3.00 RON 14.17

-3.00%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$2.16 RON 10.21

-18.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$2.10 RON 9.96

-37.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$2.55 RON 12.05

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$3.31 RON 15.65

67.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.64 RON 7.76

-14.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$1.13 RON 5.34

115.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$1.48 RON 7.00

10.14%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$3.18 RON 15.05

-11.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$7.91 RON 37.40

22.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$6.80 RON 32.16

37.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$9.35 RON 44.25

43.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$1.36 RON 6.41

194.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$1.73 RON 8.17

-14.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$1.43 RON 6.78

48.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$2.00 RON 9.44

12.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$0.77 RON 3.63

148.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$0.76 RON 3.61

113.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.65 RON 3.07

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.77 RON 3.66

63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$6.12 RON 28.96

-37.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$6.57 RON 31.07

99.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$0.93 RON 4.39

72.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$1.45 RON 6.84

55.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.85 RON 4.04

37.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

$21.35 RON 101

251.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$0.64 RON 3.04

98.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.66 RON 3.10

210.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

$6.37 RON 30.15

28.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$1.83 RON 8.64

-30.60%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$28.1K RON 132.9K

-4.68%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$25.3K RON 119.7K

36.00%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

$153 RON 723

6.13%

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$6.32 RON 29.88

107.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$8.66 RON 40.95

224.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$43.93 RON 208

0.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

$20.72 RON 98.0

-21.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$8.23 RON 38.91

-26.00%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

$393 RON 1,860

94.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

$5,729 RON 27.1K

55.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$73.3 RON 347

15.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$42.28 RON 200

35.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$90.8 RON 429

45.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$95.9 RON 453

-0.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$418 RON 1,975

146.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$287 RON 1,358

110.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

$565 RON 2,675

218.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$459 RON 2,170

116.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

$1,944 RON 9,194

101.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

$1,236 RON 5,845

32.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$972 RON 4,596

-35.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.85

39.36%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ploiesti: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Ploiesti

$287 26.8% 52.5% $317

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Ploiesti

$201 18.8% 30.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Ploiesti

$168 15.7% 17.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Ploiesti

$136 12.7% 18.3% $31

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Ploiesti

$189 17.7% 13.6% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Ploiesti

$29 2.7% 68.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Ploiesti

$60 5.6% 6.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $418 in Ploiesti. 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 55% higher in Ploiesti, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $46.00 in Ploiesti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $201 – making Ploiesti the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Ploiesti

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

10:36 10:36 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

224,406

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ploiesti 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ploiesti

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 Ploiesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $1,608 in Ploiesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ploiesti, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $46.00 in Ploiesti. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Medellin and $1,072 in Ploiesti. That's a gap of about 48%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ploiesti, where all-in costs run around $1,072, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Ploiesti it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ploiesti. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.