Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zărnești and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Zărnești: $889 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zărnești
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Zărnești Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Zărnești

🇷🇴 Romania

$889

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zărnești 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 Zărnești and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $889 per month in Zărnești vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Zărnești $889
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,383 per month in Zărnești vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Zărnești $1,383
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,877 per month in Zărnești vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Zărnești $1,877
Medellin $3,199

Zărnești is about 45% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zărnești sits 34% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 RON 42.60

$8.30 COP 26.3K

8.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.40 RON 201

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-9.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.36 RON 39.57

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-9.52%

Cappuccino

$2.18 RON 10.34

$3.05 COP 9,676

-28.52%

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

$1.46 RON 6.90

$1.80 COP 5,707

-18.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.66

$1.38 COP 4,382

-13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-41.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 RON 10.79

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-58.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$1.50 COP 4,760

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$2.37 COP 7,508

-54.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.81

$1.70 COP 5,377

-15.29%

Eggs

$2.79 RON 13.20

$2.96 COP 9,379

-5.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.89 RON 37.33

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-22.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 RON 22.42

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-51.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 RON 49.21

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-25.18%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.41

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-77.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.30

$1.53 COP 4,839

-13.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 RON 6.02

$2.22 COP 7,052

-42.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$2.27 COP 7,194

-43.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.67

$1.99 COP 6,311

-60.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 RON 2.45

$1.67 COP 5,285

-68.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.18 COP 3,742

-32.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$1.24 COP 3,919

-37.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.15 RON 24.37

$3.87 COP 12.3K

33.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.09

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.08

$1.66 COP 5,256

-35.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RON 6.12

$2.40 COP 7,615

-46.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.32

$1.24 COP 3,944

-43.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 RON 101

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-72.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.15

$1.28 COP 4,044

-31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$2.15 COP 6,803

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.45 RON 35.26

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-10.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 RON 7.16

$1.35 COP 4,288

11.85%

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

$28.5K RON 134.9K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-17.99%

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

$26.0K RON 122.9K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-25.11%

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

$99.0 RON 468

$167 COP 528.4K

-40.62%

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

$9.28 RON 43.89

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-31.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.00 RON 37.86

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-72.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 RON 179

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-16.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.41 RON 91.9

$17.18 COP 54.5K

12.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 RON 29.55

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-10.47%

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

$429 RON 2,031

$790 COP 2.5M

-45.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,733 RON 36.6K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-14.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 RON 210

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-49.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.26 RON 129

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-53.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.9 RON 326

$139 COP 440.7K

-50.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 RON 363

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-22.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 RON 2,054

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-57.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 RON 1,258

$620 COP 2.0M

-57.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 RON 2,727

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-69.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 RON 2,008

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-57.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,751 RON 8,283

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-56.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,288

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-21.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 RON 2,415

$663 COP 2.1M

-23.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

10.94

-31.72%

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

Last update for Zărnești: October 18, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zărnești

$266 29.9%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 133% $354

Groceries & Markets

Zărnești

$182 20.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 64% $116

Eating Out

Zărnești

$148 16.7%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 15.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zărnești

$116 13.1%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 80.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Zărnești

$98 11%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 76.6% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Zărnești

$50 5.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 17.3% $8.7

Getting Around

Zărnești

$29 3.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 225% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Zărnești 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 30% 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 $42.00 in Zărnești versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $298 – making Zărnești the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Zărnești

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

18:25 6:25 PM

8 h behind Zărnești

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,926

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

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).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Zărnești Medellin 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Zărnești
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

Zărnești vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 83%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Zărnești and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zărnești, 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 $42.00 in Zărnești and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $889 in Zărnești and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 83%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zărnești, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Zărnești it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Zărnești – 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 Zărnești. 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.