Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sandanski and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandanski: $1,031 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sandanski
Learn more

Sandanski Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Sandanski

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,031

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sandanski and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sandanski and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,031 per month in Sandanski vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Sandanski $1,031
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in Sandanski vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Sandanski $1,611
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Sandanski vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Sandanski $2,191
Medellin $3,199

Sandanski is about 37% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sandanski sits 24% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.01 BGN 15.68

$8.30 COP 26.3K

8.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.27 BGN 78.8

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-3.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.48 BGN 16.50

$9.24 COP 29.3K

2.60%

Cappuccino

$2.90 BGN 5.05

$3.05 COP 9,676

-4.92%

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

$1.82 BGN 3.17

$1.80 COP 5,707

1.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.74

$1.38 COP 4,382

14.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 BGN 4.55

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 BGN 7.47

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-22.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.50 COP 4,760

12.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$2.37 COP 7,508

-52.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BGN 3.93

$1.70 COP 5,377

32.94%

Eggs

$3.08 BGN 5.36

$2.96 COP 9,379

4.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 BGN 20.12

$10.22 COP 32.4K

13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.50 BGN 14.78

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-12.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.93 BGN 24.24

$13.90 COP 44.1K

0.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.88

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-60.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.53 COP 4,839

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 BGN 3.48

$2.22 COP 7,052

-9.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.27 COP 7,194

-25.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$1.99 COP 6,311

-46.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.67 COP 5,285

-38.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.09

$1.18 COP 3,742

1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$1.24 COP 3,919

-41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.05 BGN 7.04

$3.87 COP 12.3K

4.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 BGN 10.75

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.66 COP 5,256

-43.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BGN 2.45

$2.40 COP 7,615

-41.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.24 COP 3,944

-28.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.94 BGN 41.65

$78.2 COP 248.0K

-69.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 BGN 2.14

$1.28 COP 4,044

-3.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 BGN 1.07

$2.15 COP 6,803

-71.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 BGN 17.96

$8.37 COP 26.5K

23.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 BGN 2.54

$1.35 COP 4,288

8.15%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-14.81%

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

$24.7K BGN 43.0K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-28.83%

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

$113 BGN 197

$167 COP 528.4K

-31.97%

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

$18.45 BGN 32.10

$13.62 COP 43.2K

35.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.60 BGN 27.14

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-46.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.29 BGN 52.7

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-32.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.92 BGN 29.44

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-1.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.27 BGN 16.14

$6.97 COP 22.1K

33.00%

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

$507 BGN 882

$790 COP 2.5M

-35.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,479 BGN 9,533

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-39.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.6 BGN 119

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-21.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.61 BGN 74.1

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-26.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 BGN 168

$139 COP 440.7K

-30.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 182

$98.9 COP 313.5K

5.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$326 BGN 567

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-68.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 BGN 434

$620 COP 2.0M

-59.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$549 BGN 956

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-70.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 BGN 688

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-60.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,309 BGN 2,279

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-67.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,088 BGN 1,893

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-36.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$562 BGN 978

$663 COP 2.1M

-15.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

10.94

-71.66%

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

Last update for Sandanski: October 17, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sandanski

$249 24.2%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 149% $370

Groceries & Markets

Sandanski

$243 23.5%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 22.8% $55

Eating Out

Sandanski

$171 16.6%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sandanski

$147 14.3%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 42% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Sandanski

$140 13.6%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 23% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sandanski

$49 4.7%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 20.9% $10

Getting Around

Sandanski

$32 3.1%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 199% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $326 in Sandanski versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 18% 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 $45.00 in Sandanski versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $298 – making Sandanski the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sandanski

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

02:26 2:26 AM

7 h behind Sandanski

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,058

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sandanski Medellin 10,280 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sandanski
Medellin

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

Sandanski vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,547 per month in Sandanski and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sandanski, 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 $45.00 in Sandanski and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,031 in Sandanski and $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 58%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sandanski, where all-in costs run around $1,031, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sandanski it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sandanski – 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 Sandanski. 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.