Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Strumica

For one person, living is cheaper in Strumica: $866 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Medellin, Colombia
Strumica, North Macedonia
Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,639
/mo nomad
Strumica
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$866
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Strumica

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $866 in Strumica, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,639
  • Strumica $866

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,222 in Strumica, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,413
  • Strumica $1,222

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,579 in Strumica, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,186
  • Strumica $1,579

Medellin costs about 89% more than Strumica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Strumica is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.09 COP 25.6K
$3.57 MKD 197
126.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.05 COP 148.9K
$22.29 MKD 1,226
111.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.1K
$3.73 MKD 205
154.69%
Cappuccino
$3.01 COP 9,540
$1.53 MKD 84.0
96.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 COP 5,693
$1.40 MKD 77.0
28.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 COP 4,469
$1.15 MKD 63.0
22.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.18 COP 10.0K
$1.85 MKD 102
71.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.75 COP 18.2K
$1.98 MKD 109
190.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.51 COP 4,778
$1.29 MKD 70.9
17.05%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 COP 7,524
$0.74 MKD 40.45
221.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.77 COP 5,606
$1.70 MKD 93.8
4.12%
Eggs
$2.89 COP 9,146
$2.12 MKD 117
36.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.2K
$7.99 MKD 440
27.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.87 COP 31.2K
$6.19 MKD 341
59.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 COP 44.3K
$9.90 MKD 544
41.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.97 COP 12.6K
$0.61 MKD 33.70
550.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 COP 4,911
$1.38 MKD 76.0
12.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,907
$1.20 MKD 66.3
81.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 COP 6,910
$1.97 MKD 108
10.66%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 COP 6,210
$0.83 MKD 45.55
136.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 COP 5,029
$0.77 MKD 42.48
106.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 COP 3,625
$0.64 MKD 35.22
79.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 COP 3,934
$0.59 MKD 32.28
110.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 COP 12.5K
$2.72 MKD 149
45.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.68 COP 43.3K
$5.37 MKD 296
154.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 COP 5,252
$0.95 MKD 52.4
74.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 COP 7,145
$1.20 MKD 65.9
88.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.17 COP 3,696
$0.70 MKD 38.57
67.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$77.4 COP 244.8K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.27 COP 4,013
$1.07 MKD 59.1
18.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 COP 6,480
$0.62 MKD 33.86
230.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.55 COP 27.1K
$7.73 MKD 425
10.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 COP 4,262
$1.57 MKD 86.6
-14.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K COP 107.8M
$33.6K MKD 1.9M
1.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K COP 109.7M
$26.4K MKD 1.5M
31.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 COP 536.8K
$150 MKD 8,243
13.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 COP 42.9K
$12.85 MKD 707
5.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.07 COP 88.8K
$18.35 MKD 1,010
52.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.70 COP 138.3K
$20.22 MKD 1,113
116.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.19 COP 54.4K
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 COP 21.9K
$7.10 MKD 391
-2.68%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 COP 2.5M
$365 MKD 20.1K
118.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,112 COP 28.8M
$5,764 MKD 317.1K
58.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.7 COP 268.1K
$85.7 MKD 4,717
-1.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.0 COP 183.4K
$36.58 MKD 2,012
58.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$135 COP 427.1K
$104 MKD 5,709
30.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 309.7K
$91.8 MKD 5,049
6.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,208 COP 3.8M
$308 MKD 17.0K
292.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$642 COP 2.0M
$241 MKD 13.3K
166.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,028 COP 6.4M
$493 MKD 27.1K
311.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,012 COP 3.2M
$298 MKD 16.4K
239.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,170 COP 13.2M
$1,484 MKD 81.7K
180.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,910 COP 6.0M
$979 MKD 53.9K
95.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Strumica
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$657 COP 2.1M
$640 MKD 35.2K
2.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
4
173.50%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Strumica: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$642
Strumica
$241 62.5% $401
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$297
Strumica
$178 40.2% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$211
Strumica
$181 14.3% $30
Eating Out
Medellin
$170
Strumica
$81 52% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$169
Strumica
$143 15.4% $26
Getting Around
Medellin
$94
Strumica
$7 * 92.6% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Strumica
$34 40.2% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $308 in Strumica. 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 3% 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 $22 in Strumica. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $178 – making Strumica the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇲🇰 Strumica
🕒 Local time
02:11 2:11 AM
08:11 8:11 AM
6 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
36,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Strumica 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Strumica

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 Strumica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Strumica cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,298 in Strumica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Strumica, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $308 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.
Is eating out cheaper in Medellin or in Strumica?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $22 in Strumica. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Strumica?
Groceries cost about 67% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Medellin or in Strumica?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,639 in Medellin and $866 in Strumica. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is Medellin or Strumica more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Strumica – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Strumica. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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