Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veles and Manizales

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $1,181 in Manizales, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Veles, North Macedonia
Manizales, Colombia
Veles
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$766
/mo nomad
Manizales
🇨🇴 Colombia
$1,181
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Veles and in Manizales

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

A single person spends $766 per month in Veles vs $1,181 in Manizales, rent included.

  • Veles $766
  • Manizales $1,181

A couple spends around $1,137 per month in Veles vs $1,863 in Manizales, rent included.

  • Veles $1,137
  • Manizales $1,863

A family of three spends $1,507 per month in Veles vs $2,546 in Manizales, rent included.

  • Veles $1,507
  • Manizales $2,546

Veles is about 35% cheaper than Manizales, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Veles and Manizales are more affordable than the global median – Veles 44% lower, Manizales 13% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.78 MKD 484
$7.09 COP 22.3K
23.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.09 MKD 997
$42.81 COP 134.7K
-57.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 MKD 299
$10.30 COP 32.4K
-47.28%
Cappuccino
$1.56 MKD 85.9
$1.75 COP 5,506
-10.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 MKD 73.5
$1.34 COP 4,213
-0.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 MKD 45.09
$0.85 COP 2,669
-3.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 MKD 81.3
$1.78 COP 5,599
-17.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.11 MKD 171
$2.58 COP 8,117
20.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 MKD 56.7
$0.76 COP 2,384
35.53%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 MKD 29.34
$2.46 COP 7,738
-78.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 MKD 83.4
$1.75 COP 5,508
-13.71%
Eggs
$2.48 MKD 137
$3.47 COP 10.9K
-28.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.97 MKD 164
$8.35 COP 26.3K
-64.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.93 MKD 217
$7.17 COP 22.5K
-45.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.02 MKD 828
$9.59 COP 30.2K
56.62%
Apples (1kg)
$1.44 MKD 79.2
$3.50 COP 11.0K
-58.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 MKD 80.6
$1.85 COP 5,831
-21.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.34 MKD 73.8
$2.02 COP 6,346
-33.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.89 MKD 104
$1.91 COP 6,006
-1.05%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 MKD 49.77
$1.49 COP 4,687
-39.60%
Onion (1kg)
$0.83 MKD 45.99
$1.37 COP 4,299
-39.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.59 MKD 32.79
$1.30 COP 4,093
-54.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 MKD 32.96
$1.14 COP 3,592
-47.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.23 MKD 178
$4.47 COP 14.1K
-27.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.22 MKD 343
$12.78 COP 40.2K
-51.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 MKD 56.3
$1.47 COP 4,614
-30.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 MKD 79.5
$3.13 COP 9,833
-53.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Veles
Manizales
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.80 MKD 44.01
$0.98 COP 3,088
-18.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$23.73 MKD 1,308
$55.6 COP 174.8K
-57.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 MKD 60.8
$1.59 COP 5,010
-30.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 MKD 31.76
$1.55 COP 4,878
-62.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.67 MKD 423
$9.38 COP 29.5K
-18.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 MKD 77.0
$1.30 COP 4,102
7.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.5K MKD 1.5M
$35.1K COP 110.5M
-24.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K MKD 1.4M
$34.8K COP 109.6M
-28.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$108 MKD 5,974
$125 COP 392.7K
-13.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.80 MKD 926
$12.18 COP 38.3K
37.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.21 MKD 673
$30.00 COP 94.4K
-59.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.03 MKD 1,379
$32.62 COP 102.6K
-23.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.81 MKD 981
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.37 MKD 186
$7.71 COP 24.3K
-56.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$214 MKD 11.8K
$571 COP 1.8M
-62.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,661 MKD 312.0K
$7,683 COP 24.2M
-26.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.40 MKD 1,180
$85.7 COP 269.7K
-75.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.01 MKD 993
$49.01 COP 154.2K
-63.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.6 MKD 4,055
$146 COP 458.5K
-49.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 MKD 5,988
$108 COP 339.2K
0.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Veles
Manizales
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$223 MKD 12.3K
$392 COP 1.2M
-43.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$169 MKD 9,306
$336 COP 1.1M
-49.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$290 MKD 16.0K
$1,092 COP 3.4M
-73.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$232 MKD 12.8K
$690 COP 2.2M
-66.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,181 MKD 65.1K
$2,494 COP 7.8M
-52.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$940 MKD 51.8K
$1,803 COP 5.7M
-47.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Veles
Manizales
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$586 MKD 32.3K
$1,206 COP 3.8M
-51.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.23
12
-64.75%

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

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manizales: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Veles
$170
Manizales
$254 49.2% $84
Accommodation & Living
Veles
$169
Manizales
$336 99.2% $168
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Veles
$137
Manizales
$167 21.6% $30
Eating Out
Veles
$127
Manizales
$131 3.2% $4
Clothing & Footwear
Veles
$100
Manizales
$175 75.2% $75
Sport & Entertainment
Veles
$32
Manizales
$48 51.3% $16
Getting Around
Veles
$31
Manizales
$69 123% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Veles versus $392 in Manizales. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Manizales are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Veles versus $43 in Manizales. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $254 – making Veles the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇰 Veles
🇨🇴 Manizales
🕒 Local time
00:12 12:12 AM
18:12 6:12 PM
6 h behind Veles
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
43,716
458,442
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.12 MKD (100 MKD = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.36 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 = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Veles Manizales 10,230 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Veles
  • Manizales

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
Veles vs Manizales: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Veles and in Manizales compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $766 in Veles, $1,181 in Manizales – Veles comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Veles compared to Manizales?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,150 per month in Veles and $1,771 in Manizales. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Veles and Manizales?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Veles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $223 there versus $392 in Manizales.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 49% more in Manizales, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Veles and $43 in Manizales. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Where should families live: Veles or Manizales?
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.
Is Veles or Manizales safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Veles and Manizales?
If budget matters most, go with Veles. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Manizales makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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