Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Veliko Tarnovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,006 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Medellin
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,614
/mo nomad
Veliko Tarnovo
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,006
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Veliko Tarnovo

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

A single person spends $1,614 per month in Medellin vs $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

  • Medellin $1,614
  • Veliko Tarnovo $1,006

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Medellin vs $1,574 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

  • Medellin $2,402
  • Veliko Tarnovo $1,574

A family of three spends $3,190 per month in Medellin vs $2,141 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

  • Medellin $3,190
  • Veliko Tarnovo $2,141

Medellin costs about 60% more than Veliko Tarnovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Veliko Tarnovo is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 COP 25.2K
$11.12 BGN 19.46
-28.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.13 COP 146.7K
$39.76 BGN 69.6
16.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.50 COP 30.2K
$9.61 BGN 16.83
-1.14%
Cappuccino
$3.11 COP 9,897
$1.85 BGN 3.23
68.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 COP 5,818
$1.31 BGN 2.30
39.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 COP 4,374
$0.88 BGN 1.54
56.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 COP 9,702
$2.03 BGN 3.55
50.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.50 COP 17.5K
$2.79 BGN 4.88
97.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 COP 4,614
$1.86 BGN 3.25
-22.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.36 COP 7,519
$1.05 BGN 1.85
124.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.68 COP 5,345
$2.48 BGN 4.34
-32.26%
Eggs
$2.86 COP 9,106
$3.67 BGN 6.43
-22.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.19 COP 32.4K
$10.17 BGN 17.81
0.20%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.53 COP 30.3K
$8.00 BGN 14.00
19.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.04 COP 44.7K
$12.43 BGN 21.76
12.95%
Apples (1kg)
$4.07 COP 12.9K
$1.60 BGN 2.80
154.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.50 COP 4,757
$2.05 BGN 3.59
-26.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 COP 6,913
$1.96 BGN 3.43
10.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 COP 7,333
$2.58 BGN 4.51
-10.47%
Potato (1kg)
$1.93 COP 6,132
$1.09 BGN 1.91
77.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 COP 5,212
$1.17 BGN 2.05
40.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 COP 3,582
$0.98 BGN 1.71
15.31%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 COP 3,966
$0.73 BGN 1.27
71.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.99 COP 12.7K
$4.10 BGN 7.17
-2.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.35 COP 42.5K
$6.72 BGN 11.75
98.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 COP 5,400
$1.21 BGN 2.11
40.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 COP 7,549
$1.61 BGN 2.81
47.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.21 COP 3,839
$0.90 BGN 1.57
34.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.5 COP 243.3K
$23.23 BGN 40.65
229.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.32 COP 4,193
$1.16 BGN 2.03
13.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.14 COP 6,795
$0.67 BGN 1.18
219.40%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 COP 26.9K
$11.18 BGN 19.57
-24.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 COP 4,127
$1.56 BGN 2.72
-16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.0K COP 89.0M
$30.5K BGN 53.4K
-8.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.4K COP 112.6M
$30.6K BGN 53.6K
15.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$172 COP 547.3K
$95.9 BGN 168
79.54%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.37 COP 42.5K
$18.81 BGN 32.92
-28.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.73 COP 91.4K
$15.86 BGN 27.75
81.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.24 COP 143.9K
$30.50 BGN 53.4
48.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.04 COP 54.2K
$19.69 BGN 34.46
-13.46%
Cinema Ticket
$6.28 COP 20.0K
$6.91 BGN 12.08
-9.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$770 COP 2.4M
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,011 COP 28.7M
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$86.4 COP 274.8K
$46.95 BGN 82.2
84.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 COP 181.7K
$30.58 BGN 53.5
86.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$137 COP 434.3K
$122 BGN 214
11.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.9 COP 311.4K
$93.1 BGN 163
5.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,055 COP 3.4M
$351 BGN 614
200.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 COP 2.0M
$260 BGN 456
136.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,892 COP 6.0M
$572 BGN 1,000
231.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,023 COP 3.3M
$420 BGN 735
143.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,059 COP 12.9M
$2,407 BGN 4,211
68.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,678 COP 5.3M
$1,364 BGN 2,387
23.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medellin
Veliko Tarnovo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$652 COP 2.1M
$952 BGN 1,666
-31.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.94
2.74
299.27%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Medellin
$616
Veliko Tarnovo
$260 57.7% $355
Groceries & Markets
Medellin
$295
Veliko Tarnovo
$244 17.4% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medellin
$214
Veliko Tarnovo
$131 39.1% $84
Clothing & Footwear
Medellin
$170
Veliko Tarnovo
$132 22.5% $38
Eating Out
Medellin
$168
Veliko Tarnovo
$164 2.3% $3.9
Getting Around
Medellin
$93
Veliko Tarnovo
$31 66.4% $62
Sport & Entertainment
Medellin
$58
Veliko Tarnovo
$44 23.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,055 in Medellin versus $351 in Veliko Tarnovo. 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 46% higher in Veliko Tarnovo, 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 $40.00 in Veliko Tarnovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $244 – making Veliko Tarnovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇴 Medellin
🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo
🕒 Local time
14:46 2:46 PM
22:46 10:46 PM
8 h ahead of Medellin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,486,723
71,150
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Medellin Veliko Tarnovo 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Medellin
  • Veliko Tarnovo

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 Veliko Tarnovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Veliko Tarnovo cheaper than Medellin?
Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,421 per month in Medellin and $1,509 in Veliko Tarnovo. 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 Veliko Tarnovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 229% less in Veliko Tarnovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do food prices compare in Medellin and in Veliko Tarnovo?
Groceries cost about 21% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Medellin or in Veliko Tarnovo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veliko Tarnovo, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Veliko Tarnovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medellin or Veliko Tarnovo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Veliko Tarnovo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medellin or Veliko Tarnovo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Veliko Tarnovo. 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.

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