Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Medellin

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Medellin: $1,594 and $1,614 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,614 in Medellin, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Medellin $1,614

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,402 in Medellin, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Medellin $2,402

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,190 in Medellin, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Medellin $3,190

Sofia is about 1% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Medellin sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Medellin by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$7.93 COP 25.2K

112.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$46.13 COP 146.3K

42.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.50 COP 30.1K

19.16%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.11 COP 9,866

10.29%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.83 COP 5,800

31.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.38 COP 4,360

34.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.05 COP 9,672

21.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-16.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.45 COP 4,600

39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.36 COP 7,496

-33.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.68 COP 5,328

38.69%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.86 COP 9,077

52.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.19 COP 32.3K

15.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-7.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.04 COP 44.5K

24.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$4.07 COP 12.9K

-47.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.50 COP 4,742

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.17 COP 6,891

-11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.31 COP 7,310

83.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.93 COP 6,113

-46.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.64 COP 5,196

-48.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.13 COP 3,571

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.25 COP 3,954

-28.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.99 COP 12.6K

5.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$13.35 COP 42.3K

-44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.70 COP 5,384

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.37 COP 7,525

-21.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.21 COP 3,827

-28.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$76.5 COP 242.5K

-62.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.32 COP 4,179

27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.14 COP 6,774

-56.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$8.47 COP 26.8K

81.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.30 COP 4,114

30.00%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$28.0K COP 88.7M

6.47%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.4K COP 112.3M

-26.20%

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

$156 BGN 272

$172 COP 545.6K

-9.30%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$13.37 COP 42.4K

61.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-46.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$45.24 COP 143.5K

1.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$17.04 COP 54.0K

63.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.28 COP 19.9K

62.10%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$770 COP 2.4M

0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

42.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$86.4 COP 274.0K

4.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-27.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$137 COP 432.9K

-23.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$97.9 COP 310.4K

8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,055 COP 3.3M

-25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$616 COP 2.0M

-3.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,892 COP 6.0M

-19.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,023 COP 3.2M

0.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$4,059 COP 12.9M

7.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,678 COP 5.3M

89.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$652 COP 2.1M

165.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

10.94

-73.58%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Medellin

$616 38.2% 3.2% $19

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 1.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 33.9% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 11% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 10.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 13% $8.6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 143% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $1,055 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 166% higher in Sofia, 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $46.00 in Medellin. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $295 in Medellin – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

04:16 4:16 AM

8 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

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Between locations

Sofia Medellin 10,260 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Sofia
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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

Sofia vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,421 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, 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 $66.0 in Sofia and $46.00 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 $1,594 in Sofia and $1,614 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Medellin at $1,614. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. 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.