Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sunny Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sunny Beach

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,038 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Sunny Beach $1,038

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,578 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Sunny Beach $1,578

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,117 in Sunny Beach, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Sunny Beach $2,117

Medellin costs about 55% more than Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sunny Beach is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$8.39 BGN 14.68

-5.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.7K

$44.87 BGN 78.5

2.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.2K

$9.63 BGN 16.85

-1.35%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,897

$2.86 BGN 5.01

8.74%

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

$1.83 COP 5,818

$1.74 BGN 3.04

5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,374

$1.56 BGN 2.73

-11.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,702

$2.31 BGN 4.05

32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.5K

$1.73 BGN 3.03

217.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,614

$1.76 BGN 3.08

-17.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,519

$0.75 BGN 1.31

214.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,345

$2.18 BGN 3.81

-22.94%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,106

$3.69 BGN 6.46

-22.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.4K

$8.40 BGN 14.70

21.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.3K

$8.56 BGN 14.99

11.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.7K

$14.28 BGN 24.99

-1.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.70 BGN 2.97

139.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,757

$1.77 BGN 3.09

-15.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,913

$1.91 BGN 3.34

13.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,333

$2.63 BGN 4.60

-12.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,132

$1.07 BGN 1.88

80.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,212

$1.05 BGN 1.84

56.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,582

$1.16 BGN 2.03

-2.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,966

$0.71 BGN 1.24

76.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.7K

$4.10 BGN 7.17

-2.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.5K

$6.27 BGN 10.98

112.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,400

$1.13 BGN 1.97

50.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,549

$2.06 BGN 3.60

15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,839

$1.13 BGN 1.98

7.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 243.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,193

$1.27 BGN 2.22

3.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,795

$0.65 BGN 1.13

229.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.9K

$10.32 BGN 18.06

-17.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,127

$1.58 BGN 2.76

-17.72%

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

$28.0K COP 89.0M

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

-5.35%

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

$35.4K COP 112.6M

$24.4K BGN 42.7K

45.04%

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

$172 COP 547.3K

$114 BGN 200

50.65%

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

$13.37 COP 42.5K

$18.46 BGN 32.31

-27.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.4K

$15.66 BGN 27.41

83.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 20.0K

$8.90 BGN 15.57

-29.44%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$519 BGN 907

48.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.7M

$5,550 BGN 9,713

62.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.8K

$33.86 BGN 59.3

155.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.7K

$41.32 BGN 72.3

38.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 434.3K

$95.8 BGN 168

42.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 311.4K

$103 BGN 181

-5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.4M

$565 BGN 989

86.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$341 BGN 597

80.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$679 BGN 1,188

178.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.3M

$513 BGN 898

99.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,328 BGN 2,323

205.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,135 BGN 1,987

47.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$920 BGN 1,611

-29.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.1

252.90%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9% 44.6% $275

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1% 18.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3% 30.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9% 27.4% $47

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3% 5.8% $9.8

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9% 90.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7% 69.2% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $565 in Sunny Beach. 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 41% higher in Sunny Beach, 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $45.00 in Sunny Beach. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $240 – making Sunny Beach the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🕒 Local time

12:15 12:15 PM

20:15 8:15 PM

8 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,347

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 3,181 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,564 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 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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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Sunny Beach 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sunny Beach

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 Sunny Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,557 in Sunny Beach. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sunny Beach, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Medellin and $45.00 in Sunny Beach. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sunny Beach, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Sunny Beach it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sunny Beach. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.