Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in Medellin and in Sofia: $1,639 and $1,609 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sofia

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,609 in Sofia, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Sofia $1,609

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,495 in Sofia, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Sofia $2,495

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,381 in Sofia, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Sofia $3,381

Medellin costs about 2% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Sofia sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$16.88 BGN 29.53

-52.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$66.5 BGN 116

-29.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$11.59 BGN 20.29

-18.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$3.52 BGN 6.17

-14.49%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-25.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.77 BGN 3.09

-20.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$3.68 BGN 6.44

-13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$4.38 BGN 7.66

31.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.96 BGN 3.42

-22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.51 BGN 2.64

57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.20 BGN 3.85

-19.55%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.40 BGN 7.71

-34.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.76 BGN 20.59

-13.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$8.68 BGN 15.19

13.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.37 BGN 30.40

-19.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.13 BGN 3.73

86.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$1.93 BGN 3.38

12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.17 BGN 7.30

-47.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.08 BGN 1.89

81.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.91 BGN 1.59

74.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.18 BGN 2.07

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.84 BGN 1.47

47.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.18 BGN 7.32

-5.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$7.68 BGN 13.43

78.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,222

$1.17 BGN 2.05

41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,104

$1.80 BGN 3.16

25.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.87 BGN 1.52

34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$29.06 BGN 50.9

166.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.68 BGN 2.94

-24.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.87 BGN 1.53

135.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$15.76 BGN 27.58

-45.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-21.97%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

14.83%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

35.52%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$161 BGN 282

5.46%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$21.08 BGN 36.89

-35.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$15.19 BGN 26.58

84.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$48.34 BGN 84.6

-9.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$27.47 BGN 48.07

-37.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$10.16 BGN 17.78

-31.99%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$785 BGN 1,374

1.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-28.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$89.8 BGN 157

-5.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$41.29 BGN 72.3

40.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$108 BGN 188

25.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$109 BGN 191

-10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$789 BGN 1,381

53.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$604 BGN 1,057

6.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,517 BGN 2,654

33.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$1,037 BGN 1,814

-2.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,407 BGN 7,712

-5.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$3,137 BGN 5,490

-39.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,736 BGN 3,038

-62.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.89

278.55%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Sofia

$604 37.5% 5.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Sofia

$288 17.9% 3% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Sofia

$197 12.3% 6.7% $14

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Sofia

$256 15.9% 50.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Sofia

$157 9.7% 7.4% $12

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 58.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Sofia

$69 4.3% 19.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $789 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.6 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 $66 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $288 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 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 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sofia 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sofia

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 Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,413 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $66 in Sofia. 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 $1,609 in Sofia. That’s a gap of about 2%.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,609 in Sofia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,609 versus $1,639 in Medellin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.