Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ploiesti and Medellin

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.

Ploiesti
🇷🇴 Romania
$1,072
/mo nomad
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,589
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ploiesti and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ploiesti and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

  • Ploiesti $1,072
  • Medellin $1,589

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

  • Ploiesti $1,631
  • Medellin $2,364

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

  • Ploiesti $2,191
  • Medellin $3,139

Ploiesti is about 33% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.59 RON 54.8
$8.01 COP 25.5K
44.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.91 RON 217
$46.55 COP 148.3K
-1.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.99 RON 37.79
$9.43 COP 30.1K
-15.27%
Cappuccino
$3.00 RON 14.17
$2.91 COP 9,277
3.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 RON 10.21
$1.75 COP 5,585
23.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.10 RON 9.96
$1.32 COP 4,218
59.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 RON 12.05
$3.13 COP 9,969
-18.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.31 RON 15.65
$5.55 COP 17.7K
-40.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 RON 7.76
$1.41 COP 4,495
16.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 RON 5.34
$2.44 COP 7,777
-53.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 RON 7.00
$1.63 COP 5,191
-9.20%
Eggs
$3.18 RON 15.05
$2.82 COP 8,990
12.77%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.91 RON 37.40
$9.69 COP 30.9K
-18.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.80 RON 32.16
$9.32 COP 29.7K
-27.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.35 RON 44.25
$13.46 COP 42.9K
-30.53%
Apples (1kg)
$1.36 RON 6.41
$4.00 COP 12.8K
-66.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 RON 8.17
$1.48 COP 4,719
16.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.43 RON 6.78
$2.12 COP 6,768
-32.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.00 RON 9.44
$2.25 COP 7,178
-11.11%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 RON 3.63
$1.91 COP 6,092
-59.69%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 RON 3.61
$1.62 COP 5,160
-53.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 RON 3.07
$1.15 COP 3,658
-43.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 RON 3.66
$1.26 COP 4,021
-38.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.12 RON 28.96
$3.82 COP 12.2K
60.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.57 RON 31.07
$13.11 COP 41.8K
-49.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 RON 4.39
$1.60 COP 5,083
-41.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 RON 6.84
$2.26 COP 7,188
-35.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 RON 4.04
$1.17 COP 3,731
-27.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.35 RON 101
$75.0 COP 239.0K
-71.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 RON 3.04
$1.27 COP 4,056
-49.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 RON 3.10
$2.05 COP 6,531
-67.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.37 RON 30.15
$8.20 COP 26.1K
-22.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 RON 8.64
$1.27 COP 4,046
44.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.1K RON 132.9K
$26.8K COP 85.3M
4.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.3K RON 119.7K
$34.4K COP 109.6M
-26.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$153 RON 723
$162 COP 516.9K
-5.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.32 RON 29.88
$13.12 COP 41.8K
-51.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.66 RON 40.95
$28.09 COP 89.5K
-69.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.93 RON 208
$44.33 COP 141.2K
-0.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.72 RON 98.0
$16.33 COP 52.0K
26.88%
Cinema Ticket
$8.23 RON 38.91
$6.09 COP 19.4K
35.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$393 RON 1,860
$764 COP 2.4M
-48.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,729 RON 27.1K
$8,904 COP 28.4M
-35.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.3 RON 347
$85.0 COP 270.8K
-13.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.28 RON 200
$57.5 COP 183.2K
-26.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.8 RON 429
$132 COP 419.8K
-31.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$95.9 RON 453
$95.8 COP 305.1K
0.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$418 RON 1,975
$1,028 COP 3.3M
-59.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$287 RON 1,358
$604 COP 1.9M
-52.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$565 RON 2,675
$1,802 COP 5.7M
-68.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$459 RON 2,170
$993 COP 3.2M
-53.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,944 RON 9,194
$3,921 COP 12.5M
-50.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,236 RON 5,845
$1,639 COP 5.2M
-24.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ploiesti
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$972 RON 4,596
$626 COP 2.0M
55.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.85
10.94
-28.24%

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

Last update for Ploiesti: October 4, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ploiesti
$287
Medellin
$604 111% $317
Groceries & Markets
Ploiesti
$201
Medellin
$288 43.2% $87
Eating Out
Ploiesti
$189
Medellin
$166 12% $23
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ploiesti
$168
Medellin
$203 21.2% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Ploiesti
$136
Medellin
$166 22.4% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Ploiesti
$60
Medellin
$57 6.4% $3.9
Getting Around
Ploiesti
$29
Medellin
$91 218% $63

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know
🇷🇴 Ploiesti
🇨🇴 Medellin
🕒 Local time
10:35 10:35 AM
02:35 2:35 AM
8 h behind Ploiesti
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
224,406
2,486,723
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ploiesti Medellin 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ploiesti
  • Medellin

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
Ploiesti vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medellin cheaper than Ploiesti?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 48%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,608 per month in Ploiesti and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Ploiesti or in Medellin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Ploiesti and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Ploiesti and in Medellin?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,072 in Ploiesti and $1,589 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 48%.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Ploiesti or in Medellin?
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.
Is Ploiesti or Medellin more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Ploiesti or Medellin?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
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.

Ploiesti vs other spots: cost of living compared

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