Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Skopje

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Skopje

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,112 in Skopje, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Skopje $1,112

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,657 in Skopje, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Skopje $1,657

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $2,202 in Skopje, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Skopje $2,202

Medellin costs about 47% more than Skopje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Skopje is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$9.68 MKD 534

-16.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$34.35 MKD 1,894

36.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$6.52 MKD 360

45.71%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.14 MKD 118

40.65%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.81 MKD 99.8

-0.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.38 MKD 76.1

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.68 MKD 148

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.03 MKD 167

89.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.28 MKD 70.4

17.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.74 MKD 40.87

221.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$1.85 MKD 102

-4.32%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$2.50 MKD 138

15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$8.11 MKD 447

25.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$7.36 MKD 406

34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$15.00 MKD 827

-6.73%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.43 MKD 78.7

177.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$1.41 MKD 77.5

9.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.31 MKD 72.4

66.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.86 MKD 103

17.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.88 MKD 48.43

122.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.78 MKD 42.84

103.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.63 MKD 34.73

82.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.59 MKD 32.41

110.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.36 MKD 185

17.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.48 MKD 412

82.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.06 MKD 58.5

56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.50 MKD 82.5

50.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.71 MKD 38.92

64.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$25.73 MKD 1,418

200.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.08 MKD 59.3

17.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.57 MKD 31.68

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$7.50 MKD 413

14.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.59 MKD 87.6

-15.09%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

-0.67%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

33.04%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$158 MKD 8,729

7.14%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$18.80 MKD 1,036

-27.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$19.20 MKD 1,058

46.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$37.03 MKD 2,041

18.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$17.35 MKD 956

-0.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$7.44 MKD 410

-7.12%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$369 MKD 20.3K

116.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,668 MKD 312.4K

60.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$85.6 MKD 4,717

-1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$36.99 MKD 2,039

56.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$101 MKD 5,594

32.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$112 MKD 6,189

-12.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$394 MKD 21.7K

206.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$314 MKD 17.3K

104.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$715 MKD 39.4K

183.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$483 MKD 26.6K

109.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,745 MKD 151.3K

51.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,844 MKD 101.6K

3.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$876 MKD 48.3K

-24.95%

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 Skopje: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Skopje

$314 28.2% 51.1% $328

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Skopje

$211 19% 29% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Skopje

$196 17.7% 7.1% $15

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Skopje

$155 13.9% 8.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Skopje

$151 13.6% 10.4% $18

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Skopje

$33 2.9% 65.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Skopje

$52 4.7% 9.8% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $394 in Skopje. 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 33% higher in Skopje, 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 $34 in Skopje. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $211 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇰 Skopje

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

19:06 7:06 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

422,540 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 MKD = 1.81 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Skopje 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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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 Skopje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 47%, 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 $1,667 in Skopje. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skopje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $34 in Skopje. 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 $1,112 in Skopje. That’s a gap of about 47%.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $1,112 in Skopje. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Skopje is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 47% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.