Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $757 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sliven

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $757 in Sliven, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Sliven $757

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $1,205 in Sliven, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Sliven $1,205

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,653 in Sliven, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Sliven $1,653

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

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Sliven is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 27.0K

$9.74 BGN 17.05

-14.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.9K

$34.95 BGN 61.2

33.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.7K

$9.67 BGN 16.92

-2.07%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.2K

$1.84 BGN 3.22

70.11%

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

$1.77 COP 5,727

$1.23 BGN 2.15

43.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,619

$0.86 BGN 1.50

65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$1.67 BGN 2.92

88.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.5K

$2.33 BGN 4.08

144.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,969

$1.52 BGN 2.66

0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,429

$0.77 BGN 1.35

197.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,306

$2.27 BGN 3.97

-14.54%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,942

$2.17 BGN 3.80

41.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.4K

$8.25 BGN 14.43

21.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.9K

$5.29 BGN 9.27

97.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.3K

$6.57 BGN 11.49

112.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$1.47 BGN 2.58

175.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,956

$1.67 BGN 2.93

-8.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,823

$1.45 BGN 2.54

44.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,437

$2.12 BGN 3.71

8.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,839

$0.47 BGN 0.83

348.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,542

$0.89 BGN 1.56

92.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,794

$1.13 BGN 1.98

3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,123

$0.51 BGN 0.90

209.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.7K

$3.60 BGN 6.29

8.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.5K

$5.92 BGN 10.37

137.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,712

$1.05 BGN 1.83

67.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,793

$1.29 BGN 2.25

110.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

$0.70 BGN 1.23

68.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

$34.79 BGN 60.9

119.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,859

$1.11 BGN 1.95

63.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,904

$0.58 BGN 1.02

267.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.4K

$8.57 BGN 14.99

-5.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,135

$1.46 BGN 2.56

-12.33%

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

$34.4K COP 111.7M

$30.3K BGN 53.1K

13.56%

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

$34.1K COP 110.7M

$22.3K BGN 39.0K

53.29%

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

$178 COP 576.3K

$84.9 BGN 149

109.24%

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

$13.89 COP 45.0K

$18.87 BGN 33.03

-26.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.7K

$9.16 BGN 16.04

235.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 136.0K

$22.53 BGN 39.43

86.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.5K

$13.31 BGN 23.29

26.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.2K

$5.55 BGN 9.72

34.59%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$582 BGN 1,018

35.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.9M

$11.2K BGN 19.6K

9.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 279.9K

$56.9 BGN 99.5

51.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 192.2K

$22.51 BGN 39.39

163.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 448.6K

$69.5 BGN 122

98.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 320.4K

$60.3 BGN 106

63.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$233 BGN 408

474.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$145 BGN 254

360.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$329 BGN 576

500.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$255 BGN 445

305.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

$1,104 BGN 1,932

271.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

$925 BGN 1,618

109.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$1,305 BGN 2,284

-50.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.87

281.18%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Sliven

$145 19.2% 78.3% $522

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Sliven

$179 23.7% 41.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Sliven

$113 14.9% 49.2% $109

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Sliven

$150 19.9% 12.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Sliven

$94 12.4% 45.3% $78

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Sliven

$42 5.5% 55.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Sliven

$34 4.5% 40.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $233 in Sliven. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sliven are about 2 times higher, 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 Sliven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $179 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

15:09 3:09 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

95,806

💱 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 Sliven 10,500 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sliven

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 Sliven: 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 $2,538 per month in Medellin and $1,135 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sliven, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $35 in Sliven. 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 $757 in Sliven. That makes Sliven about 55% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sliven, where all-in costs run around $757, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Sliven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Sliven is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.