Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $785 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
Learn more

Karlovo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$785

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $785 per month in Karlovo vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Karlovo $785
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,263 per month in Karlovo vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Karlovo $1,263
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Karlovo vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Karlovo $1,742
Medellin $3,199

Karlovo is about 52% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Karlovo sits 42% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 BGN 12.34

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-14.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.57 BGN 58.4

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-28.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.66 BGN 15.07

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$1.45 BGN 2.53

$3.05 COP 9,676

-52.46%

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

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.80 COP 5,707

-42.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 BGN 1.28

$1.38 COP 4,382

-46.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BGN 3.41

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-68.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$1.50 COP 4,760

-22.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$2.37 COP 7,508

-64.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 BGN 3.25

$1.70 COP 5,377

10.00%

Eggs

$3.27 BGN 5.69

$2.96 COP 9,379

10.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.92 BGN 17.26

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-2.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 BGN 14.45

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-14.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.86 BGN 10.20

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-57.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 BGN 2.19

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-69.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 BGN 3.41

$1.53 COP 4,839

28.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.70

$2.22 COP 7,052

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.68

$2.27 COP 7,194

-7.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 BGN 0.84

$1.99 COP 6,311

-75.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$1.67 COP 5,285

-46.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 BGN 1.71

$1.18 COP 3,742

-16.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$1.24 COP 3,919

-37.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 BGN 5.64

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-16.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.69 BGN 11.64

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-51.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 BGN 1.72

$1.66 COP 5,256

-40.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$2.40 COP 7,615

-21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 BGN 1.93

$1.24 COP 3,944

-10.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.67 BGN 41.18

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-69.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 BGN 2.03

$1.28 COP 4,044

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$2.15 COP 6,803

-66.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.78 BGN 20.50

$8.37 COP 26.5K

40.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 BGN 2.43

$1.35 COP 4,288

3.70%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-13.73%

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

$22.3K BGN 38.8K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-35.66%

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

$104 BGN 180

$167 COP 528.4K

-37.79%

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

$14.45 BGN 25.13

$13.62 COP 43.2K

6.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.91 BGN 20.72

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-59.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.57 BGN 51.5

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-34.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 BGN 30.18

$17.18 COP 54.5K

0.99%

Cinema Ticket

$5.57 BGN 9.69

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-20.09%

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

$226 BGN 393

$790 COP 2.5M

-71.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,755 BGN 10.0K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-36.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.50 BGN 49.60

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-67.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-80.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 BGN 99.0

$139 COP 440.7K

-59.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.99 BGN 80.0

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-53.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 BGN 583

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-67.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 BGN 332

$620 COP 2.0M

-69.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 BGN 929

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-71.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 BGN 701

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-60.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,320 BGN 2,297

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-66.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,083 BGN 1,885

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-36.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$448 BGN 779

$663 COP 2.1M

-32.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

10.94

-70.29%

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

Last update for Karlovo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Karlovo

$205 26.2%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 45.1% $93

Accommodation & Living

Karlovo

$191 24.3%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 224% $429

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovo

$130 16.6%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 61% $79

Eating Out

Karlovo

$121 15.4%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 41.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovo

$64 8.2%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 169% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovo

$41 5.2%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 45% $18

Getting Around

Karlovo

$33 4.2%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 190% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $335 in Karlovo 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 48% 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 $34.00 in Karlovo versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $298 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:53 1:53 PM

05:53 5:53 AM

8 h behind Karlovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,919

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 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 BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karlovo Medellin 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlovo
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

Karlovo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 107%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,177 per month in Karlovo 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 Karlovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 230% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $226 per month in Karlovo and $790 in Medellin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – 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 Karlovo. 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.