Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Prilep

For one person, living is cheaper in Prilep: $730 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Prilep
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Prilep Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Prilep

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Prilep

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $730 in Prilep, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Prilep $730

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,110 in Prilep, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Prilep $1,110

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,489 in Prilep, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Prilep $1,489

Medellin costs about 124% more than Prilep, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Prilep is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.90 MKD 215

107.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$27.36 MKD 1,505

71.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$5.77 MKD 317

64.64%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.43 MKD 78.6

110.49%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$1.61 MKD 88.4

11.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$1.18 MKD 64.8

19.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$1.58 MKD 87.1

101.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$1.96 MKD 108

193.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.13 MKD 62.3

33.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.67 MKD 37.09

255.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$1.55 MKD 85.4

14.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$2.04 MKD 112

41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$6.95 MKD 383

46.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$5.88 MKD 323

67.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$11.23 MKD 618

24.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$0.85 MKD 46.53

367.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$1.34 MKD 73.8

15.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$1.00 MKD 55.2

118.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.24 MKD 68.3

75.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.75 MKD 41.43

161.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.85 MKD 46.76

87.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.58 MKD 32.03

98.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.44 MKD 24.38

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$2.89 MKD 159

37.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$5.09 MKD 280

168.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.01 MKD 55.4

64.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$1.18 MKD 64.9

91.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.35 MKD 19.07

234.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

$18.30 MKD 1,006

322.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$1.11 MKD 60.8

14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.60 MKD 33.14

241.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$6.47 MKD 356

32.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.47 MKD 81.1

-8.16%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

2.93%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

30.64%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$123 MKD 6,778

37.66%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$17.30 MKD 952

-21.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$13.82 MKD 760

103.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$20.03 MKD 1,102

118.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$8.23 MKD 452

108.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$5.12 MKD 282

34.96%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$277 MKD 15.2K

187.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$1,158 MKD 63.7K

687.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$37.29 MKD 2,051

127.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$36.81 MKD 2,024

57.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$67.2 MKD 3,695

100.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$80.1 MKD 4,405

22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$229 MKD 12.6K

428.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$166 MKD 9,113

287.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$497 MKD 27.3K

308.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$276 MKD 15.2K

266.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

$1,029 MKD 56.6K

305.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$807 MKD 44.4K

136.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$603 MKD 33.2K

8.96%

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 Prilep: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Prilep

$166 22.7% 74.2% $476

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Prilep

$168 23% 43.4% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Prilep

$154 21.1% 26.9% $57

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Prilep

$89 12.1% 47.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Prilep

$100 13.6% 41% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Prilep

$24 3.3% 74.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Prilep

$30 4.2% 47.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $229 in Prilep. 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 9% higher in Medellin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $27 in Prilep. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $168 – making Prilep the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇰 Prilep

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,308

💱 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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Medellin Prilep 10,140 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Prilep

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 Prilep: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 124%, 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 $1,096 in Prilep. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Prilep, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $27 in Prilep. 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 $730 in Prilep. That makes Prilep about 55% cheaper.

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

If budget matters most, go with Prilep. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.