Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Sveti Nikole: $858 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Sveti Nikole
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Sveti Nikole Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Sveti Nikole

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sveti Nikole

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $858 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Medellin $1,614
Sveti Nikole $858

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,309 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Medellin $2,402
Sveti Nikole $1,309

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $1,760 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

Medellin $3,190
Sveti Nikole $1,760

Medellin costs about 88% more than Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$8.81 MKD 481

-9.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$32.98 MKD 1,799

39.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.36 MKD 292

77.24%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$1.61 MKD 88.0

93.17%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$1.38 MKD 75.5

32.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$1.03 MKD 56.2

33.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$1.51 MKD 82.2

101.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$1.85 MKD 101

197.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.33 MKD 72.6

9.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.55 MKD 30.14

329.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$1.17 MKD 63.8

43.59%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$2.43 MKD 132

17.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$9.29 MKD 507

9.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$4.62 MKD 252

106.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$11.58 MKD 632

21.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$1.29 MKD 70.1

215.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$1.30 MKD 71.1

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$1.28 MKD 69.9

69.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$1.74 MKD 94.7

32.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$0.74 MKD 40.20

160.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$1.14 MKD 62.2

43.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.86 MKD 46.91

31.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.40 MKD 21.64

212.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$3.07 MKD 168

29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$6.48 MKD 354

106.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.02 MKD 55.9

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$1.49 MKD 81.3

59.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.71 MKD 38.82

70.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

$23.57 MKD 1,286

224.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$1.46 MKD 79.8

-9.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$1.01 MKD 55.2

111.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$3.65 MKD 199

132.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.40 MKD 76.3

-7.14%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$31.4K MKD 1.7M

-10.95%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$27.7K MKD 1.5M

27.73%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$127 MKD 6,901

36.03%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$15.70 MKD 857

-14.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$11.97 MKD 653

140.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

$21.94 MKD 1,197

106.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

$19.74 MKD 1,077

-13.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$5.10 MKD 278

23.14%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$280 MKD 15.3K

175.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$3,095 MKD 168.8K

191.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$72.7 MKD 3,968

18.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$31.84 MKD 1,737

79.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$82.0 MKD 4,474

66.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$87.4 MKD 4,765

12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$313 MKD 17.1K

237.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$207 MKD 11.3K

196.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

$451 MKD 24.6K

319.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

$315 MKD 17.2K

224.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

$1,523 MKD 83.1K

166.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

$1,169 MKD 63.8K

43.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

$539 MKD 29.4K

21.14%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Sveti Nikole

$207 24.2% 66.3% $408

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Sveti Nikole

$181 21.1% 38.7% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Sveti Nikole

$154 18% 28% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Sveti Nikole

$123 14.4% 27.5% $47

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Sveti Nikole

$127 14.8% 24.7% $42

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Sveti Nikole

$33 3.8% 64.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Sveti Nikole

$32 3.8% 44.4% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $313 in Sveti Nikole. 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 21% 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 $46.00 in Medellin versus $33.00 in Sveti Nikole. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $181 – making Sveti Nikole the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole

🕒 Local time

15:33 3:33 PM

22:33 10:33 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

13,220

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

100 MKD = 1.83 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 54.55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.83 USD). 1 EUR = 61.33 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Sveti Nikole 10,160 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sveti Nikole

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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,286 in Sveti Nikole. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sveti Nikole, 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 $33.00 in Sveti Nikole. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,614 in Medellin and $858 in Sveti Nikole. That's a gap of about 88%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sveti Nikole, where all-in costs run around $858, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Sveti Nikole it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sveti Nikole. 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.