Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Pleven

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $887 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Pleven

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $887 in Pleven, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Pleven $887

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,418 in Pleven, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Pleven $1,418

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,948 in Pleven, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Pleven $1,948

Medellin costs about 85% more than Pleven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Pleven is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$8.72 BGN 15.26

-7.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$29.16 BGN 51.0

61.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$6.35 BGN 11.12

49.61%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.10 BGN 3.67

43.33%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.27 BGN 2.22

41.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.15 BGN 2.02

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.18 BGN 3.81

45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.24 BGN 3.93

156.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.64 BGN 2.88

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.16 BGN 2.02

105.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$1.71 BGN 2.99

3.51%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.57 BGN 6.25

-19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$8.93 BGN 15.63

14.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$7.88 BGN 13.79

25.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.28 BGN 24.99

-2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.25 BGN 2.18

217.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.99 BGN 3.48

-22.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.13 BGN 3.74

2.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.26 BGN 3.96

-3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.17 BGN 2.05

67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.07 BGN 1.88

48.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.06 BGN 1.85

8.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.74 BGN 1.30

67.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.63 BGN 6.36

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.37 BGN 11.14

114.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.78 BGN 1.36

112.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.13 BGN 1.97

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.84 BGN 1.47

39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$40.38 BGN 70.7

91.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-21.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.90 BGN 1.57

127.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$12.02 BGN 21.04

-28.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.64 BGN 2.86

-17.68%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$29.4K BGN 51.5K

15.70%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$24.9K BGN 43.7K

38.98%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$95.6 BGN 167

77.38%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$15.87 BGN 27.78

-14.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$10.80 BGN 18.89

159.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$35.45 BGN 62.0

23.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$24.29 BGN 42.52

-29.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$8.66 BGN 15.16

-20.21%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$505 BGN 884

57.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$6,321 BGN 11.1K

44.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$40.48 BGN 70.9

109.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$28.02 BGN 49.04

106.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$94.0 BGN 165

43.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$100 BGN 176

-2.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$331 BGN 578

265.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$171 BGN 300

274.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$568 BGN 993

257.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$333 BGN 582

204.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,450 BGN 2,537

187.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,133 BGN 1,982

68.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$939 BGN 1,643

-29.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.82

287.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pleven: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Pleven

$171 19.3% 73.3% $470

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Pleven

$234 26.4% 21.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Pleven

$122 13.8% 42.1% $89

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Pleven

$139 15.7% 18% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Pleven

$118 13.3% 30% $51

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Pleven

$50 5.6% 46.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Pleven

$53 6% 8.3% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $331 in Pleven. 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 43% higher in Pleven, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $29 in Pleven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Pleven

🕒 Local time

19:50 7:50 PM

02:50 2:50 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

111,567

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,224 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,600 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Pleven 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Pleven

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 Pleven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 85%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,331 in Pleven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pleven, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $29 in Pleven. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $887 in Pleven. That makes Pleven about 46% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Pleven is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 46% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.