Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandarawela and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandarawela: $451 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
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Bandarawela Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$451

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $451 per month in Bandarawela vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Bandarawela $451
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $743 per month in Bandarawela vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Bandarawela $743
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,034 per month in Bandarawela vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Bandarawela $1,034
Medellin $3,249

Bandarawela is about 73% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bandarawela sits 67% below the global median, while Medellin is 25% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.32 LKR 439

$8.34 COP 27.0K

-84.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.43 LKR 8,126

$46.53 COP 150.9K

-47.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,527

$9.47 COP 30.7K

-19.75%

Cappuccino

$1.49 LKR 494

$3.13 COP 10.2K

-52.40%

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

$0.61 LKR 204

$1.77 COP 5,727

-65.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.5

$1.42 COP 4,619

-80.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 719

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 LKR 806

$5.70 COP 18.5K

-57.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.53 COP 4,969

5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.34 LKR 115

$2.29 COP 7,429

-85.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 LKR 206

$1.94 COP 6,306

-68.04%

Eggs

$1.05 LKR 350

$3.07 COP 9,942

-65.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.54 LKR 5,170

$9.99 COP 32.4K

55.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 LKR 1,189

$10.45 COP 33.9K

-65.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 LKR 2,584

$13.96 COP 45.3K

-44.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,246

$4.05 COP 13.1K

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 LKR 190

$1.53 COP 4,956

-62.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,379

$2.10 COP 6,823

97.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 427

$2.29 COP 7,437

-44.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 286

$2.11 COP 6,839

-59.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 LKR 183

$1.71 COP 5,542

-67.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 LKR 417

$1.17 COP 3,794

6.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$1.58 COP 5,123

-73.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.61 LKR 3,196

$3.91 COP 12.7K

145.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 LKR 4,573

$14.04 COP 45.5K

-2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 627

$1.76 COP 5,712

7.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 966

$2.71 COP 8,793

7.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,825

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 247.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.81 COP 5,859

-79.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 103

$2.13 COP 6,904

-85.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 291

$8.13 COP 26.4K

-89.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.28 COP 4,135

7.03%

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

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

$34.4K COP 111.7M

25.79%

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

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

$34.1K COP 110.7M

35.02%

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

$56.6 LKR 18.8K

$178 COP 576.3K

-68.15%

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

$3.36 LKR 1,117

$13.89 COP 45.0K

-75.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

$30.74 COP 99.7K

-80.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$6.04 LKR 2,010

$41.94 COP 136.0K

-85.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 LKR 1,495

$16.80 COP 54.5K

-73.27%

Cinema Ticket

$2.37 LKR 787

$7.47 COP 24.2K

-68.27%

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

$40.60 LKR 13.5K

$790 COP 2.6M

-94.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

$12.3K COP 39.9M

40.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.42 LKR 6,125

$86.3 COP 279.9K

-78.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.70 LKR 5,887

$59.3 COP 192.2K

-70.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 LKR 26.7K

$138 COP 448.6K

-42.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.25 LKR 14.1K

$98.8 COP 320.4K

-57.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,098 COP 13.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,940 COP 6.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

10.94

14.26%

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

Last update for Bandarawela: October 31, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandarawela

$231 51.2%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 33.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Bandarawela

$71 15.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 142% $101

Eating Out

Bandarawela

$70 15.6%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 145% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandarawela

$66 14.6%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 237% $156

Sport & Entertainment

Bandarawela

$11 2.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 428% $46

Getting Around

Bandarawela

$1.9 * 0.4%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 4793% $92

Accommodation & Living

Bandarawela

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Bandarawela versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $307 – making Bandarawela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

01:29 1:29 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

10 h 30 min behind Bandarawela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.08 USD

10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3,242 COP (10,000 COP = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 3,650 COP (10,000 COP = 2.74 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandarawela Medellin 17,040 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandarawela
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

Bandarawela vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $451 in Bandarawela, $1,692 in Medellin – Bandarawela comes out roughly 73% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $677 per month in Bandarawela and $2,538 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Bandarawela and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bandarawela, where all-in costs run around $451, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Bandarawela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $451 in Bandarawela to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.