Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,408 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Varna

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,408 in Varna, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Varna $1,408

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,217 in Varna, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Varna $2,217

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,026 in Varna, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Varna $3,026

Medellin costs about 16% more than Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Medellin and Varna sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Varna by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$12.46 BGN 21.94

-35.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$59.9 BGN 106

-21.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.16 BGN 17.87

-6.50%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.87 BGN 5.05

4.88%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.89 BGN 3.32

-4.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$1.62 BGN 2.85

-12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.81 BGN 4.94

13.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.50 BGN 6.15

64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.92 BGN 3.38

-21.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$1.24 BGN 2.18

91.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$2.58 BGN 4.55

-31.40%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$3.53 BGN 6.21

-18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$11.53 BGN 20.30

-11.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$9.28 BGN 16.34

6.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$13.97 BGN 24.60

0.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$1.90 BGN 3.34

108.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.16 BGN 3.81

-28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$2.12 BGN 3.74

2.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$3.00 BGN 5.28

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.30 BGN 2.29

50.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.04 BGN 1.83

52.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$1.05 BGN 1.85

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.78 BGN 1.37

58.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.03 BGN 7.08

-1.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$8.90 BGN 15.66

53.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.17 BGN 2.06

41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$1.80 BGN 3.17

25.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$1.13 BGN 1.99

3.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$28.11 BGN 49.47

175.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$1.56 BGN 2.75

-18.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.88 BGN 1.55

132.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$12.19 BGN 21.46

-29.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.74 BGN 3.07

-22.41%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$29.6K BGN 52.0K

15.28%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$24.7K BGN 43.5K

40.12%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$176 BGN 310

-3.64%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$20.41 BGN 35.91

-33.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$15.68 BGN 27.59

79.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$51.4 BGN 90.5

-15.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$19.47 BGN 34.26

-11.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$9.06 BGN 15.95

-23.73%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$498 BGN 877

59.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$6,292 BGN 11.1K

44.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$65.3 BGN 115

29.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$33.01 BGN 58.1

75.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$102 BGN 180

31.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$99.7 BGN 175

-1.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$640 BGN 1,126

88.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$482 BGN 848

33.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,362 BGN 2,397

48.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$916 BGN 1,612

10.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$2,998 BGN 5,276

39.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,090 BGN 3,678

-8.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$1,286 BGN 2,263

-48.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

2.82

287.94%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Varna

$482 34.2% 24.9% $160

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Varna

$272 19.3% 8.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Varna

$212 15.1% 0.4% $0.9

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Varna

$200 14.2% 17.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Varna

$135 9.6% 20% $34

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Varna

$39 2.7% 58.7% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Varna

$70 4.9% 20.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $640 in Varna. 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 96% higher in Varna, 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 $60 in Varna. Groceries tell a different story – $297 in Medellin vs $272 in Varna – so Varna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

20:04 8:04 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

348,058

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 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 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 = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 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 Varna 10,610 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Varna

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 Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 16%, 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 $2,113 in Varna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $640 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $60 in Varna. 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 $1,408 in Varna. That’s a gap of about 16%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,408 in Varna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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