Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bitola

For one person, living is cheaper in Bitola: $859 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bitola
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Bitola Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Bitola

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bitola

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $859 in Bitola.

Medellin $1,639
Bitola $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,289 in Bitola.

Medellin $2,413
Bitola $1,289

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,718 in Bitola.

Medellin $3,186
Bitola $1,718

Living in Medellin is roughly 91% more expensive than in Bitola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bitola is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$5.23 MKD 287

54.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$26.77 MKD 1,472

75.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.04 MKD 277

88.49%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.96 MKD 108

53.57%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.71 MKD 93.9

5.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.46 MKD 80.3

-3.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.16 MKD 119

47.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$2.62 MKD 144

119.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.38 MKD 75.7

9.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.66 MKD 36.57

260.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.72 MKD 94.7

2.91%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.98 MKD 109

45.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.93 MKD 546

2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$6.81 MKD 375

44.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$13.08 MKD 719

6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.01 MKD 55.4

293.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.39 MKD 76.6

11.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.24 MKD 68.1

75.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.59 MKD 87.4

37.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.91 MKD 49.82

115.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$1.34 MKD 73.6

18.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.53 MKD 28.91

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.50 MKD 27.30

148.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.30 MKD 181

20.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$6.06 MKD 333

125.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.91 MKD 49.92

82.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.83 MKD 101

23.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.54 MKD 29.49

116.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$16.24 MKD 893

376.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.08 MKD 59.3

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.57 MKD 31.35

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.32 MKD 348

35.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.50 MKD 82.4

-10.00%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$30.9K MKD 1.7M

10.34%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

7.13%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$148 MKD 8,113

15.02%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$14.08 MKD 774

-3.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$12.62 MKD 694

122.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$22.16 MKD 1,219

97.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$6.43 MKD 354

167.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$4.57 MKD 252

51.20%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$211 MKD 11.6K

276.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,167 MKD 64.2K

680.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$76.3 MKD 4,198

11.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$46.27 MKD 2,545

25.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$73.3 MKD 4,029

84.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$111 MKD 6,088

-11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$260 MKD 14.3K

365.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$185 MKD 10.2K

246.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$396 MKD 21.8K

412.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$293 MKD 16.1K

245.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,709 MKD 94.0K

144.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,142 MKD 62.8K

67.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$750 MKD 41.3K

-12.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

6.45

69.61%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bitola: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Bitola

$185 21.6% 71.1% $456

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Bitola

$198 23.1% 33.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Bitola

$174 20.3% 17.5% $37

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Bitola

$109 12.7% 35.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Bitola

$138 16.1% 18.4% $31

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Bitola

$22 2.6% 76.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Bitola

$31 3.7% 45.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $260 in Bitola. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bitola pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $27 in Bitola for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $198 per month, with Bitola cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇰 Bitola

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

74,550

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Bitola 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bitola

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

Medellin vs Bitola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $859 in Bitola, so Bitola is about 48% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 12% lower in Medellin. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $260 in Bitola. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bitola – a meal for two runs $27 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $859 in Bitola versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bitola but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bitola the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bitola gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.