Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Targu Mures

For one person, living is cheaper in Targu Mures: $938 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $938 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Targu Mures $938

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,461 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Targu Mures $1,461

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,984 in Targu Mures, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Targu Mures $1,984

Medellin costs about 73% more than Targu Mures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$9.12 RON 43.15

-8.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$42.19 RON 200

11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$8.00 RON 37.83

15.50%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.17 RON 10.27

40.55%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$1.44 RON 6.83

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$1.23 RON 5.83

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$1.91 RON 9.04

69.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.26 RON 10.68

146.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.34 RON 6.34

11.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$1.07 RON 5.07

121.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.45 RON 6.87

17.24%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$2.88 RON 13.65

2.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$8.00 RON 37.84

27.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$5.81 RON 27.47

67.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$10.08 RON 47.68

37.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$1.00 RON 4.72

313.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.33 RON 6.29

15.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.39 RON 6.59

59.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.90 RON 9.00

19.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.77 RON 3.64

158.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.55 RON 2.61

203.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.80 RON 3.79

47.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.77 RON 3.64

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$5.84 RON 27.61

-33.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$7.39 RON 34.98

86.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.07 RON 5.06

55.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$1.55 RON 7.32

54.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

$0.66 RON 3.11

87.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

$25.06 RON 119

212.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.88 RON 4.14

45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.85 RON 4.04

152.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$7.47 RON 35.32

12.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.81 RON 8.55

-25.41%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$28.1K RON 133.0K

23.68%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$25.3K RON 119.8K

36.99%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$101 RON 477

65.36%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$9.37 RON 44.35

45.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$8.19 RON 38.75

255.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$42.30 RON 200

6.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$18.38 RON 87.0

-6.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.27 RON 29.67

11.16%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$1,330 RON 6,291

-40.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$52.3 RON 248

67.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$29.80 RON 141

95.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$76.7 RON 363

81.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$77.4 RON 366

27.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$415 RON 1,964

147.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$286 RON 1,355

116.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$650 RON 3,077

189.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$472 RON 2,232

113.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$2,238 RON 10.6K

78.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$1,487 RON 7,035

14.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$991 RON 4,687

-33.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

7.47

46.45%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Targu Mures

$286 30.5% 53.8% $333

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Targu Mures

$192 20.5% 35.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Targu Mures

$118 12.6% 43.5% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Targu Mures

$106 11.3% 38.5% $66

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Targu Mures

$148 15.8% 13.5% $23

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Targu Mures

$33 3.5% 65.5% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Targu Mures

$55 5.8% 7.1% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $415 in Targu Mures. 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 49% higher in Targu Mures, 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 $42.00 in Targu Mures. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $192 – making Targu Mures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

04:16 4:16 AM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

134,290

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Targu Mures 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Targu Mures

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 Mures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 73%, 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 $1,408 in Targu Mures. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Mures, 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 $42.00 in Targu Mures. 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 $938 in Targu Mures. That's a gap of about 73%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Targu Mures, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Targu Mures it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Targu Mures – 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 Targu Mures. 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.