Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $913 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Shumen

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $913 in Shumen, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Shumen $913

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,422 in Shumen, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Shumen $1,422

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,931 in Shumen, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Shumen $1,931

Medellin costs about 80% more than Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Shumen is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$9.14 BGN 15.99

-11.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.7K

$34.66 BGN 60.7

35.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.6K

$9.14 BGN 15.99

3.94%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,722

$1.69 BGN 2.96

78.11%

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

$1.80 COP 5,801

$1.43 BGN 2.50

25.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,554

$1.07 BGN 1.87

31.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.2K

$2.95 BGN 5.15

7.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.5K

$2.89 BGN 5.06

98.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,869

$1.84 BGN 3.23

-17.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,667

$1.08 BGN 1.89

120.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,712

$2.57 BGN 4.49

-31.13%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,320

$2.85 BGN 4.98

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$9.11 BGN 15.94

11.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.8K

$5.11 BGN 8.95

93.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.1K

$8.86 BGN 15.51

57.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.52 BGN 2.66

161.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,005

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-24.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,039

$2.17 BGN 3.80

0.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,041

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-5.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,328

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,125

$1.25 BGN 2.20

27.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,694

$0.88 BGN 1.53

30.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,009

$0.77 BGN 1.34

61.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$3.67 BGN 6.41

7.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.1K

$7.00 BGN 12.25

95.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,352

$0.97 BGN 1.69

71.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,281

$1.47 BGN 2.57

53.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,766

$0.88 BGN 1.54

32.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.5K

$26.12 BGN 45.72

196.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,089

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-27.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,603

$0.53 BGN 0.93

286.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,343

$1.59 BGN 2.78

-15.09%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

10.19%

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

$34.7K COP 111.8M

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

55.23%

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

$170 COP 547.0K

$133 BGN 232

27.86%

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

$13.55 COP 43.7K

$17.68 BGN 30.94

-23.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.5K

$16.94 BGN 29.64

65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 140.9K

$38.15 BGN 66.8

14.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.4K

$11.41 BGN 19.97

50.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$7.04 BGN 12.32

-1.85%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$561 BGN 982

41.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

-13.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.2K

$47.91 BGN 83.8

76.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 186.9K

$51.6 BGN 90.4

12.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.2K

$94.2 BGN 165

43.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 315.6K

$60.6 BGN 106

61.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

$263 BGN 460

359.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

$180 BGN 315

256.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

$427 BGN 748

374.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

$334 BGN 584

203.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.4M

$1,231 BGN 2,154

238.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

$997 BGN 1,744

91.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,024 BGN 1,792

-35.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.25

236.62%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Shumen

$180 19.7% 72% $462

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Shumen

$214 23.4% 28.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Shumen

$167 18.3% 20.8% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Shumen

$151 16.6% 10.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 32.3% $55

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 63.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Shumen

$52 5.7% 9.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $263 in Shumen. 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 56% higher in Shumen, 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 $35 in Shumen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $214 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

85,504

💱 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 Shumen 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 80%, 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 $1,369 in Shumen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Shumen. 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 $913 in Shumen. That makes Shumen about 44% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Shumen is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.