Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manizales and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $1,181 in Manizales, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Manizales
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Manizales Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Manizales

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,181

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manizales and in Veles

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

A single person spends $1,181 per month in Manizales vs $766 in Veles, rent included.

Manizales $1,181
Veles $766

A couple spends around $1,863 per month in Manizales vs $1,137 in Veles, rent included.

Manizales $1,863
Veles $1,137

A family of three spends $2,546 per month in Manizales vs $1,507 in Veles, rent included.

Manizales $2,546
Veles $1,507

Manizales costs about 54% more than Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Manizales and Veles are more affordable than the global median – Manizales 13% lower, Veles 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.09 COP 22.4K

$8.78 MKD 483

-19.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.81 COP 135.5K

$18.09 MKD 995

136.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 COP 32.6K

$5.43 MKD 299

89.69%

Cappuccino

$1.75 COP 5,539

$1.56 MKD 85.7

12.18%

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

$1.34 COP 4,238

$1.33 MKD 73.3

0.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 COP 2,684

$0.82 MKD 45.00

3.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 COP 5,632

$1.47 MKD 81.1

21.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 COP 8,164

$3.11 MKD 171

-17.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 COP 2,398

$1.03 MKD 56.6

-26.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 COP 7,783

$0.53 MKD 29.29

364.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 COP 5,541

$1.51 MKD 83.3

15.89%

Eggs

$3.47 COP 11.0K

$2.48 MKD 136

39.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.35 COP 26.4K

$2.97 MKD 163

181.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.17 COP 22.7K

$3.93 MKD 216

82.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.59 COP 30.4K

$15.02 MKD 826

-36.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 COP 11.1K

$1.44 MKD 79.1

143.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 COP 5,866

$1.46 MKD 80.4

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 COP 6,383

$1.34 MKD 73.7

50.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,042

$1.89 MKD 104

1.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 COP 4,714

$0.90 MKD 49.68

65.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 COP 4,324

$0.83 MKD 45.91

65.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 COP 4,117

$0.59 MKD 32.73

120.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 COP 3,613

$0.60 MKD 32.90

90.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 COP 14.1K

$3.23 MKD 178

38.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 COP 40.4K

$6.22 MKD 342

105.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 COP 4,641

$1.02 MKD 56.2

44.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 COP 9,891

$1.44 MKD 79.3

117.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 COP 3,106

$0.80 MKD 43.93

22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 COP 175.8K

$23.73 MKD 1,306

134.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 COP 5,039

$1.10 MKD 60.7

44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 COP 4,907

$0.58 MKD 31.70

167.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.38 COP 29.7K

$7.67 MKD 422

22.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,126

$1.40 MKD 76.8

-7.14%

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

$35.1K COP 111.2M

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

32.56%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

40.54%

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

$125 COP 395.0K

$108 MKD 5,963

15.17%

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

$12.18 COP 38.5K

$16.80 MKD 924

-27.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.00 COP 94.9K

$12.21 MKD 672

145.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.62 COP 103.2K

$25.03 MKD 1,377

30.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 MKD 980

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 COP 24.4K

$3.37 MKD 185

128.78%

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

$571 COP 1.8M

$214 MKD 11.8K

166.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,683 COP 24.3M

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

35.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 COP 271.3K

$21.40 MKD 1,177

300.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.01 COP 155.1K

$18.01 MKD 991

172.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 COP 461.2K

$73.6 MKD 4,047

98.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 COP 341.2K

$109 MKD 5,977

-0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 COP 1.2M

$223 MKD 12.2K

76.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 COP 1.1M

$169 MKD 9,289

99.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 COP 3.5M

$290 MKD 15.9K

277.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 COP 2.2M

$232 MKD 12.8K

197.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 COP 7.9M

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

111.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,803 COP 5.7M

$940 MKD 51.7K

91.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,206 COP 3.8M

$586 MKD 32.2K

105.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

183.69%

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

Last update for Manizales: October 25, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Manizales

$336 28.5%

Veles

$169 22% 49.8% $168

Groceries & Markets

Manizales

$254 21.5%

Veles

$170 22.2% 33% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Manizales

$175 14.8%

Veles

$100 13% 42.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manizales

$167 14.2%

Veles

$137 17.9% 17.7% $30

Eating Out

Manizales

$131 11.1%

Veles

$127 16.6% 3.1% $4

Getting Around

Manizales

$69 5.8%

Veles

$31 4% 55.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Manizales

$48 4.1%

Veles

$32 4.1% 33.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Manizales versus $223 in Veles. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manizales are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Manizales versus $18 in Veles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $170 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Manizales

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

01:13 1:13 AM

6 h ahead of Manizales

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

458,442

43,716

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Manizales Veles 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Manizales
Veles

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

Manizales vs Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,181 in Manizales, $766 in Veles – Veles comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,771 per month in Manizales and $1,150 in Veles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $392 in Manizales.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Manizales, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Manizales and $18 in Veles. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Veles – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Veles. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manizales makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.