Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Jiu: $966 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Targu Jiu

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $966 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Targu Jiu $966

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,502 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Targu Jiu $1,502

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,038 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Targu Jiu $2,038

Medellin costs about 70% more than Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Targu Jiu is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$14.60 RON 70.2

-44.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$57.6 RON 277

-18.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.24 RON 34.80

31.22%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.56 RON 17.10

-15.45%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.02 RON 4.93

76.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.21 RON 10.64

-36.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.67 RON 17.66

-13.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.23 RON 20.32

35.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.67 RON 8.03

-9.58%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.28 RON 6.17

85.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.77 RON 8.49

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.75 RON 13.21

5.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$7.41 RON 35.63

37.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$2.91 RON 13.99

239.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$6.95 RON 33.40

101.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$0.91 RON 4.38

336.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.49 RON 7.17

4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.17 RON 5.60

86.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.22 RON 5.84

78.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.83 RON 3.97

136.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.74 RON 3.54

114.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.61 RON 2.92

88.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.50 RON 2.40

148.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$5.21 RON 25.02

-23.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$3.00 RON 14.42

356.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$0.82 RON 3.93

102.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.07 RON 5.16

111.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.65 RON 3.12

95.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.61 RON 2.93

236.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$6.39 RON 30.69

33.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.93 RON 9.30

-30.05%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$28.8K RON 138.4K

18.34%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$25.9K RON 124.3K

34.08%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$196 RON 943

-13.58%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$6.01 RON 28.87

125.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$9.32 RON 44.78

201.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$31.49 RON 151

38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$8.34 RON 40.08

-17.15%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$676 RON 3,247

17.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$14.3K RON 68.8K

-36.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$49.38 RON 237

71.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$25.42 RON 122

128.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$51.7 RON 248

161.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$84.2 RON 405

16.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$353 RON 1,698

241.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$233 RON 1,119

175.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$478 RON 2,295

324.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$403 RON 1,937

151.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,555 RON 12.3K

63.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$518 RON 2,490

26.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.75

62.07%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Targu Jiu

$233 24.1% 63.7% $409

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Targu Jiu

$154 16% 48.1% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9% 30.3% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8% 43.9% $74

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4% 96% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Targu Jiu

$48 5% 16.3% $9.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $353 in Targu Jiu. 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 27% 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 in Medellin versus $58 in Targu Jiu. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $154 in Targu Jiu – so Targu Jiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

82,504

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 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 Targu Jiu 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,449 in Targu Jiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Jiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $353 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $58 in Targu Jiu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 93% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $966 in Targu Jiu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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