Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $842 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Roman

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $842 in Roman, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Roman $842

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,944 in Roman, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Roman $1,944

Medellin costs about 101% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Roman is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$10.46 RON 49.67

-20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$33.05 RON 157

40.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$7.27 RON 34.51

30.26%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$2.54 RON 12.05

23.23%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.35 RON 6.40

31.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.04 RON 4.93

36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.14 RON 10.16

47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.18 RON 10.35

161.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.18 RON 5.61

29.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.66 RON 3.14

246.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$1.43 RON 6.81

35.66%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.91 RON 13.82

5.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$7.85 RON 37.28

27.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.76 RON 27.35

81.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$8.25 RON 39.18

69.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.07 RON 5.06

278.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.49 RON 7.10

2.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.39 RON 6.58

51.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$1.83 RON 8.69

25.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.68 RON 3.25

210.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.83 RON 3.94

106.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$0.81 RON 3.86

44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.73 RON 3.45

116.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$5.32 RON 25.24

-26.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$5.38 RON 25.56

160.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.96 RON 4.55

83.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.17 RON 5.58

131.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.74 RON 3.53

59.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$20.48 RON 97.3

272.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.65 RON 3.11

178.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.65 RON 3.08

227.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.36 RON 34.94

10.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.82 RON 8.65

-29.67%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$28.3K RON 134.4K

21.65%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$24.7K RON 117.5K

37.93%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$147 RON 698

20.81%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$6.70 RON 31.82

107.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$8.03 RON 38.14

282.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$37.42 RON 178

12.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$17.23 RON 81.8

-2.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$6.26 RON 29.70

19.33%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$290 RON 1,375

172.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$6,433 RON 30.5K

91.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$96.0 RON 456

-10.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$25.20 RON 120

135.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$61.6 RON 292

124.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$58.4 RON 277

69.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$213 RON 1,013

528.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$159 RON 754

320.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$611 RON 2,903

223.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$459 RON 2,179

125.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,818 RON 8,634

125.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,519 RON 7,212

27.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$828 RON 3,931

-21.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.2

51.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Roman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Roman

$159 18.8% 76.2% $508

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Roman

$176 20.8% 42.9% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Roman

$162 19.2% 27.2% $61

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Roman

$161 19.1% 7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Roman

$109 12.9% 37% $64

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Roman

$27 3.3% 70.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Roman

$50 5.9% 12.2% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $213 in Roman. 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 28% higher in Roman, 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 $33 in Roman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $176 – making Roman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

22:15 10:15 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

80,328

💱 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 4, 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 4, 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

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Between locations

Medellin Roman 10,440 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 101%, 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 $1,264 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $33 in Roman. 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 $842 in Roman. That makes Roman about 50% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Roman, where all-in costs run around $842, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Roman it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Roman is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 50% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.