Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Skopje and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Skopje: $1,112 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Skopje
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Skopje Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$1,112

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Skopje 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 Skopje and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,112 per month in Skopje vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Skopje $1,112
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $1,657 per month in Skopje vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Skopje $1,657
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $2,202 per month in Skopje vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Skopje $2,202
Medellin $3,186

Skopje is about 32% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Skopje sits 18% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 MKD 534

$8.09 COP 25.4K

19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 MKD 1,894

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-26.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 MKD 360

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-31.37%

Cappuccino

$2.14 MKD 118

$3.01 COP 9,485

-28.90%

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

$1.81 MKD 99.8

$1.80 COP 5,660

0.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 MKD 76.1

$1.41 COP 4,443

-2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 MKD 148

$3.18 COP 9,990

-15.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MKD 167

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-47.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 MKD 70.4

$1.51 COP 4,751

-15.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MKD 40.87

$2.38 COP 7,480

-68.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 MKD 102

$1.77 COP 5,573

4.52%

Eggs

$2.50 MKD 138

$2.89 COP 9,093

-13.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 MKD 447

$10.19 COP 32.1K

-20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.36 MKD 406

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 MKD 827

$13.99 COP 44.0K

7.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 MKD 78.7

$3.97 COP 12.5K

-63.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 MKD 77.5

$1.55 COP 4,883

-9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.4

$2.18 COP 6,867

-39.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 MKD 103

$2.18 COP 6,870

-14.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 MKD 48.43

$1.96 COP 6,174

-55.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 MKD 42.84

$1.59 COP 5,000

-50.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 MKD 34.73

$1.15 COP 3,604

-45.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 MKD 32.41

$1.24 COP 3,911

-52.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 MKD 185

$3.96 COP 12.5K

-15.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 MKD 412

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-45.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 MKD 58.5

$1.66 COP 5,221

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 MKD 82.5

$2.26 COP 7,103

-33.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 MKD 38.92

$1.17 COP 3,674

-39.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.73 MKD 1,418

$77.4 COP 243.4K

-66.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 MKD 59.3

$1.27 COP 3,989

-14.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 MKD 31.68

$2.05 COP 6,442

-72.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 MKD 413

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-12.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 MKD 87.6

$1.35 COP 4,237

17.78%

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

$34.3K MKD 1.9M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

0.68%

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

$26.1K MKD 1.4M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

-24.83%

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

$158 MKD 8,729

$170 COP 533.7K

-6.66%

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

$18.80 MKD 1,036

$13.55 COP 42.6K

38.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.20 MKD 1,058

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-31.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.03 MKD 2,041

$43.70 COP 137.5K

-15.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.35 MKD 956

$17.19 COP 54.1K

0.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.44 MKD 410

$6.91 COP 21.7K

7.67%

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

$369 MKD 20.3K

$797 COP 2.5M

-53.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,668 MKD 312.4K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-37.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 MKD 4,717

$84.7 COP 266.5K

1.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,039

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-36.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 MKD 5,594

$135 COP 424.6K

-24.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 MKD 6,189

$97.9 COP 307.9K

14.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 MKD 21.7K

$1,208 COP 3.8M

-67.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 MKD 17.3K

$642 COP 2.0M

-51.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 MKD 39.4K

$2,028 COP 6.4M

-64.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$1,012 COP 3.2M

-52.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,745 MKD 151.3K

$4,170 COP 13.1M

-34.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,844 MKD 101.6K

$1,910 COP 6.0M

-3.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$876 MKD 48.3K

$657 COP 2.1M

33.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

10.94

-61.33%

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

Last update for Skopje: October 24, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Skopje

$314 28.2%

Medellin

$642 39.1% 105% $328

Groceries & Markets

Skopje

$211 19%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 40.8% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Skopje

$196 17.7%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 7.6% $15

Eating Out

Skopje

$155 13.9%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 9.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Skopje

$151 13.6%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Skopje

$52 4.7%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 10.8% $5.6

Getting Around

Skopje

$33 2.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 188% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Skopje versus $1,208 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 33% higher in Skopje, 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 $34 in Skopje versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $211 vs $297 – making Skopje the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Skopje

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

11:07 11:07 AM

6 h behind Skopje

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

422,540 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.81 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.35 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,501 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Skopje Medellin 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Skopje
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

Skopje vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Skopje and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skopje, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Skopje and $47 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 $1,112 in Skopje and $1,639 in Medellin. That’s a gap of about 47%.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,112 in Skopje and $1,639 in Medellin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Skopje is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 47% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.