Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Veles

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $766 in Veles, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Veles $766

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $1,137 in Veles, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Veles $1,137

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,507 in Veles, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Veles $1,507

Medellin costs about 114% more than Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Veles is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$8.78 MKD 483

-7.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$18.09 MKD 995

160.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$5.43 MKD 299

74.95%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$1.56 MKD 85.7

92.95%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$1.33 MKD 73.3

35.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.82 MKD 45.00

71.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$1.47 MKD 81.1

116.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$3.11 MKD 171

84.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.03 MKD 56.6

46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.53 MKD 29.29

349.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$1.51 MKD 83.3

17.22%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$2.48 MKD 136

16.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$2.97 MKD 163

243.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$3.93 MKD 216

151.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$15.02 MKD 826

-6.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$1.44 MKD 79.1

175.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$1.46 MKD 80.4

6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$1.34 MKD 73.7

62.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.89 MKD 104

15.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$0.90 MKD 49.68

117.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.83 MKD 45.91

91.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.59 MKD 32.73

94.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.60 MKD 32.90

106.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$3.23 MKD 178

22.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$6.22 MKD 342

119.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.02 MKD 56.2

62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$1.44 MKD 79.3

56.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

$0.80 MKD 43.93

46.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

$23.73 MKD 1,306

226.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$1.10 MKD 60.7

15.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.58 MKD 31.70

253.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$7.67 MKD 422

11.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.40 MKD 76.8

-3.57%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

28.54%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

39.86%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$108 MKD 5,963

56.52%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$16.80 MKD 924

-19.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$12.21 MKD 672

129.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

$25.03 MKD 1,377

74.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

$17.81 MKD 980

-3.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$3.37 MKD 185

105.04%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$214 MKD 11.8K

271.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

60.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$21.40 MKD 1,177

295.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$18.01 MKD 991

221.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$73.6 MKD 4,047

83.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$109 MKD 5,977

-9.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$223 MKD 12.2K

442.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$169 MKD 9,289

279.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$290 MKD 15.9K

600.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$232 MKD 12.8K

336.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

253.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$940 MKD 51.7K

103.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$586 MKD 32.2K

12.17%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Veles

$169 22% 73.7% $473

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Veles

$170 22.2% 42.6% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Veles

$137 17.9% 35% $74

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Veles

$127 16.6% 24.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Veles

$100 13% 41% $69

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Veles

$31 4% 67% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Veles

$32 4.1% 44.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $223 in Veles. 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 12% 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 $18 in Veles. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $170 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

04:09 4:09 AM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

43,716

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 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 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).

USD to COP in detail →

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Medellin Veles 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $1,150 in Veles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $18 in Veles. 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 $766 in Veles. That makes Veles about 53% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Veles – 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 Veles. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.