Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Satu Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Satu Mare: $930 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Satu Mare
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Satu Mare Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Satu Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Satu Mare

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $930 in Satu Mare, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Satu Mare $930

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,406 in Satu Mare, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Satu Mare $1,406

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,883 in Satu Mare, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Satu Mare $1,883

Medellin costs about 75% more than Satu Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Satu Mare is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$8.20 RON 38.81

1.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$32.51 RON 154

44.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$6.48 RON 30.67

42.59%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.50 RON 11.81

22.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.49 RON 7.04

20.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.28 RON 6.07

7.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.87 RON 8.87

73.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.44 RON 11.55

127.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.13 RON 5.33

32.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.06 RON 5.04

123.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.13 RON 5.36

50.44%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.69 RON 12.71

10.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$7.35 RON 34.79

39.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$7.53 RON 35.63

29.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.83 RON 51.2

28.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.10 RON 5.19

275.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.30 RON 6.15

17.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.28 RON 6.04

73.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.43 RON 6.75

58.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.19 RON 5.61

67.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$1.37 RON 6.48

21.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.88 RON 4.14

34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.71 RON 3.34

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.57 RON 26.38

-30.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$6.19 RON 29.29

122.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.23 RON 5.80

34.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.70 RON 8.06

41.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.54 RON 2.56

129.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$23.41 RON 111

234.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.80 RON 3.79

60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.85 RON 4.03

152.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$8.10 RON 38.34

3.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.58 RON 7.47

-14.56%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$22.8K RON 107.9K

52.50%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$25.3K RON 119.5K

37.32%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$126 RON 597

32.13%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$7.14 RON 33.79

90.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$7.25 RON 34.30

301.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$41.55 RON 197

8.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$10.68 RON 50.5

60.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.19 RON 29.29

12.60%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$155 RON 733

410.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$3,829 RON 18.1K

136.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$59.6 RON 282

47.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$28.51 RON 135

103.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$85.6 RON 405

62.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$69.2 RON 328

42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$322 RON 1,524

219.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$260 RON 1,229

138.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$647 RON 3,060

190.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$410 RON 1,938

145.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$1,007 RON 4,765

295.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,056 RON 4,995

61.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$650 RON 3,075

2.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.05

55.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Satu Mare: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Satu Mare

$260 27.9% 58.1% $360

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Satu Mare

$195 21% 34.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Satu Mare

$141 15.1% 32.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Satu Mare

$109 11.8% 36.7% $63

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Satu Mare

$140 15.1% 17.8% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Satu Mare

$31 3.3% 67.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Satu Mare

$54 5.8% 8.6% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $322 in Satu Mare. 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 2% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin versus $33.00 in Satu Mare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $195 – making Satu Mare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Satu Mare

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

02:28 2:28 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

102,411

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Satu Mare 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Satu Mare

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 Satu Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,394 in Satu Mare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Satu Mare, 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 $33.00 in Satu Mare. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,625 in Medellin and $930 in Satu Mare. That's a gap of about 75%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Satu Mare, where all-in costs run around $930, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Satu Mare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Satu Mare – 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 Satu Mare. 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.