Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Gostivar

For one person, living is cheaper in Gostivar: $837 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Gostivar
Learn more

Gostivar Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Gostivar

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Gostivar

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 Gostivar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $837 in Gostivar.

Medellin $1,639
Gostivar $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,265 in Gostivar.

Medellin $2,413
Gostivar $1,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,693 in Gostivar.

Medellin $3,186
Gostivar $1,693

Living in Medellin is roughly 96% more expensive than in Gostivar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Gostivar is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$6.56 MKD 361

23.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.78 MKD 1,528

69.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.85 MKD 322

62.39%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.38 MKD 76.0

118.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.32 MKD 72.7

36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.06 MKD 58.6

33.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.31 MKD 72.3

142.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.85 MKD 102

210.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.24 MKD 68.1

21.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.71 MKD 38.81

235.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.43 MKD 78.4

23.78%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.37 MKD 130

21.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.29 MKD 346

62.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.55 MKD 305

77.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$14.30 MKD 786

-2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.41 MKD 77.5

181.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.41 MKD 77.4

9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.32 MKD 72.8

65.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.86 MKD 102

17.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.83 MKD 45.51

136.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.75 MKD 41.35

112.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.63 MKD 34.49

82.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.54 MKD 29.49

129.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.79 MKD 154

41.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$4.44 MKD 244

208.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$0.94 MKD 51.7

76.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.44 MKD 79.0

56.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.71 MKD 39.02

64.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$25.74 MKD 1,416

200.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.75 MKD 41.47

69.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.31 MKD 17.00

561.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$7.77 MKD 427

10.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.42 MKD 78.2

-4.93%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$32.4K MKD 1.8M

5.02%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.6K MKD 1.5M

30.37%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$129 MKD 7,092

31.56%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$10.81 MKD 595

25.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$18.72 MKD 1,029

49.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$21.69 MKD 1,193

101.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$16.18 MKD 890

6.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.09 MKD 390

-2.54%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$368 MKD 20.2K

116.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,800 MKD 319.0K

57.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$36.82 MKD 2,025

130.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$37.07 MKD 2,039

56.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$101 MKD 5,550

33.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$112 MKD 6,181

-12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$271 MKD 14.9K

346.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$193 MKD 10.6K

233.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$497 MKD 27.3K

308.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$296 MKD 16.3K

242.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,515 MKD 83.3K

175.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,165 MKD 64.1K

63.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$880 MKD 48.4K

-25.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

4.23

158.63%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gostivar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Gostivar

$193 23% 70% $449

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Gostivar

$184 21.9% 38.2% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Gostivar

$158 18.9% 25% $53

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Gostivar

$106 12.7% 37.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Gostivar

$129 15.4% 23.5% $40

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Gostivar

$31 3.7% 67% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Gostivar

$36 4.3% 37.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $271 in Gostivar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gostivar pays 34% 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 $28 in Gostivar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $184 per month, with Gostivar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇰 Gostivar

🕒 Local time

03:07 3:07 AM

09:07 9:07 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

36,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 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 = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.38 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Gostivar 10,080 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Gostivar

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 Gostivar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gostivar wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gostivar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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 $271 in Gostivar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $837 in Gostivar – Gostivar is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Gostivar runs roughly 67% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gostivar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Gostivar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.