Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,227 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Plovdiv

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Plovdiv $1,227

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,874 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Plovdiv $1,874

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,522 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Plovdiv $2,522

Medellin costs about 34% more than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Plovdiv is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.16 BGN 16.03

-11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$45.67 BGN 79.9

3.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.43 BGN 16.51

0.74%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$2.86 BGN 5.01

5.24%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.76 BGN 3.08

2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.58 BGN 2.77

-10.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.54 BGN 4.44

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$4.35 BGN 7.61

32.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.81 BGN 3.17

-16.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.22 BGN 2.13

95.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.23 BGN 3.91

-20.63%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$3.77 BGN 6.59

-23.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$11.62 BGN 20.33

-12.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$8.55 BGN 14.96

15.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$14.32 BGN 25.06

-2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.62 BGN 2.84

145.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$1.84 BGN 3.23

-15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$1.93 BGN 3.37

12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.63 BGN 4.61

-17.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$1.09 BGN 1.91

79.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.04 BGN 1.82

52.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$1.16 BGN 2.03

-0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.71 BGN 1.24

74.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.90 BGN 6.82

1.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$6.03 BGN 10.55

126.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$1.16 BGN 2.03

43.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.98 BGN 3.47

14.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.60 BGN 1.05

95.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$29.11 BGN 51.0

165.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-1.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.61 BGN 1.07

236.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$10.46 BGN 18.30

-18.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.70 BGN 2.98

-20.59%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$30.3K BGN 53.1K

12.28%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$24.6K BGN 43.1K

40.84%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$113 BGN 197

50.44%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$18.40 BGN 32.20

-26.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$15.41 BGN 26.96

82.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$41.91 BGN 73.4

4.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$20.61 BGN 36.07

-16.59%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$9.31 BGN 16.29

-25.78%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$599 BGN 1,047

33.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$5,404 BGN 9,456

68.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$67.3 BGN 118

25.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$41.80 BGN 73.1

38.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$96.9 BGN 170

39.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$102 BGN 178

-3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$553 BGN 968

118.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$420 BGN 734

52.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$880 BGN 1,539

130.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$663 BGN 1,160

52.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$2,228 BGN 3,899

87.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$1,512 BGN 2,646

26.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,162 BGN 2,033

-43.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.1

252.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Plovdiv

$420 34.2% 34.6% $222

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Plovdiv

$255 20.8% 14.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Plovdiv

$147 12% 30.6% $65

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Plovdiv

$171 13.9% 0.7% $1.2

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Plovdiv

$139 11.3% 18% $30

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Plovdiv

$36 2.9% 61.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Plovdiv

$61 4.9% 5.2% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $553 in Plovdiv. 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 77% higher in Plovdiv, 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 $46 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $255 – making Plovdiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

16:04 4:04 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

368,983

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Plovdiv 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Plovdiv

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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 34%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,840 in Plovdiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Plovdiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $553 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Public transport costs about 62% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,227 in Plovdiv, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Plovdiv costs $1,227 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.