Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $916 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
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Popovo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Popovo

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $916 in Popovo, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Popovo $916

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,382 in Popovo, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Popovo $1,382

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,848 in Popovo, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Popovo $1,848

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

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Popovo is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$8.60 BGN 15.04

-3.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$28.66 BGN 50.2

62.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$6.72 BGN 11.76

40.92%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.12 BGN 1.96

179.46%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$0.77 BGN 1.36

129.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-6.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.52 BGN 4.41

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$4.20 BGN 7.34

35.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.52 BGN 2.65

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$1.03 BGN 1.81

122.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$2.22 BGN 3.89

-12.61%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.56 BGN 4.49

19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$6.97 BGN 12.20

43.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$8.01 BGN 14.02

30.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$14.19 BGN 24.83

-1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.47 BGN 2.56

175.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.45 BGN 2.54

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.41 BGN 2.46

48.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$2.21 BGN 3.87

3.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$1.06 BGN 1.85

99.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$1.05 BGN 1.84

62.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.22 BGN 2.14

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.70 BGN 1.23

125.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$4.05 BGN 7.08

-3.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$6.31 BGN 11.05

122.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$0.88 BGN 1.55

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$2.03 BGN 3.56

33.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.90 BGN 1.57

31.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$25.79 BGN 45.13

195.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$0.55 BGN 0.96

229.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.54 BGN 0.95

294.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$7.90 BGN 13.82

2.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-17.95%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$28.0K BGN 49.0K

23.04%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$21.6K BGN 37.9K

57.80%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$113 BGN 197

57.70%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$18.10 BGN 31.67

-23.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$15.58 BGN 27.26

97.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$19.80 BGN 34.65

111.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$17.16 BGN 30.03

-2.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$6.12 BGN 10.71

22.06%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$509 BGN 892

55.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$5,443 BGN 9,526

125.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$50.6 BGN 88.6

70.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$39.95 BGN 69.9

48.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$67.5 BGN 118

104.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$45.19 BGN 79.1

118.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$338 BGN 591

297.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$260 BGN 455

156.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$554 BGN 970

256.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$403 BGN 705

156.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,323 BGN 2,314

209.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$1,083 BGN 1,896

79.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,266 BGN 2,215

-48.95%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Popovo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Popovo

$260 28.4% 61.1% $407

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Popovo

$221 24.1% 28.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Popovo

$146 16% 34.2% $76

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Popovo

$133 14.5% 23.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Popovo

$91 10% 46.9% $81

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Popovo

$33 3.6% 65.1% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Popovo

$32 3.5% 43.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $338 in Popovo. 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 96% higher in Popovo, 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 Popovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $221 – making Popovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

08:42 8:42 AM

15:42 3:42 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,878

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,635 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Popovo 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Popovo

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 Popovo: 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,373 in Popovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $338 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $916 in Popovo. That makes Popovo about 46% cheaper.

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

For expats, Popovo 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.