✦ Compare
Medellín vs
Rome
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Medellín, CO vs Rome, IT at a glance — Rome, IT is 103% more expensive than Medellín, CO overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,200/mo versus $550/mo. Top income tax: 43% vs 39%.
To keep the same standard of living in Rome, IT, you'd need
$152,465 / year
Rome, IT is 103% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Rome, IT vs Medellín, CO)
- Housing+162%
- Food & groceries+108%
- Transport+88%
- Utilities+118%
- Healthcare+45%
- Goods & services+72%
◎ How Medellín, CO and Rome, IT compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Medellín, CO | Rome, IT | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 49 | 100 |
| Housing | 42 | 110 |
| Food | 48 | 100 |
| Transport | 40 | 75 |
| Utilities | 55 | 120 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 80 |
| Goods & services | 58 | 100 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $550/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $350/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,100/mo | $2,400/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $1,800 | $6,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,029 | $998 |
| Inexpensive meal | $5 | $15 |
| Monthly transit pass | $40 | $38 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 39% | 43% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 22% |
| Corporate tax | 35% | 24% |
| Capital gains | — | 26% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $450/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $53,864✓ |
| Minimum wage | $330/mo | — |
| GDP per capita | $6,976✓ | $43,309✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 5.2%✓ | 1.5%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | Yes |
| English proficiency | Low | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 59 | 68 |
| Safety index | 48 | 55 |
| Healthcare index | 70 | 78 |
| Pollution index | 55 | 60 |
| Internet speed | 80 Mbps | 100 Mbps |
| Walkability | 55 | 85 |
| Public transport | 68 | 75 |
| Family-friendly | 58 | 64 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 74 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +22 °C | +8 °C |
| July avg | +22 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,600 mm | 800 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Colombia vs Italy. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Medellín vs Rome — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Medellín
A dramatic turnaround story with a year-round spring climate and a modern metro. El Poblado and Laureles anchor a booming nomad scene; costs are low and healthcare excellent, but safety still varies sharply by neighbourhood.
- Currency
- Colombian peso ($ COP)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Time zone
- UTC-5
- Internet
- 80 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 22°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 110V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- El Poblado · Laureles · Envigado · Belén
Good to know before you move to Rome
Living inside an open-air museum — unbeatable food and history, but slow bureaucracy and patchy transit.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- Italian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 100 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 55/100
- Climate
- ❄ 8°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F/L · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Trastevere · Monti · Prati
Plan your move to Medellín
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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Plan your move to Rome
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Airport transferWelcome Pickups
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Medellín to Rome: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Medellín to Rome, your cost of living will be roughly 103% more expensive. Rome’s cost-of-living index is 100 versus 49 for Medellín (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Medellín cheaper than Rome?
Rome is about 103% more expensive than Medellín overall — its cost-of-living index is 100 versus 49 for Medellín.
Which is more expensive, Medellín or Rome?
Rome is more expensive than Medellín. Its cost-of-living index is 100 vs 49 (US = 100) — about 104% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Medellín or Rome?
Rent is cheaper in Medellín — about $550/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,200 in Rome.
How much do you need to earn in Rome to live like in Medellín?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Medellín is worth about $152,465 in Rome. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Medellín or Rome?
Colombia has the lower top income-tax rate — 39% versus 43% in Italy.
◷ More comparisons from Medellín
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.