Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hikkaduwa and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $509 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Hikkaduwa
Learn more

Hikkaduwa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $1,614 in Medellin.

Hikkaduwa $509
Medellin $1,614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $826 in Hikkaduwa versus $2,402 in Medellin.

Hikkaduwa $826
Medellin $2,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,144 in Hikkaduwa versus $3,190 in Medellin.

Hikkaduwa $1,144
Medellin $3,190

Living in Hikkaduwa costs roughly 68% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hikkaduwa is 62% below, Medellin is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.45 LKR 1,475

$7.93 COP 25.2K

-43.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.59 LKR 8,146

$46.13 COP 146.3K

-46.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 LKR 2,508

$9.50 COP 30.1K

-20.32%

Cappuccino

$2.50 LKR 828

$3.11 COP 9,866

-19.61%

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

$0.72 LKR 238

$1.83 COP 5,800

-60.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.1

$1.38 COP 4,360

-80.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 716

$3.05 COP 9,672

-29.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 998

$5.50 COP 17.4K

-45.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$1.45 COP 4,600

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$2.36 COP 7,496

-77.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.68 COP 5,328

-52.38%

Eggs

$1.60 LKR 530

$2.86 COP 9,077

-44.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 LKR 4,637

$10.19 COP 32.3K

37.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 LKR 1,618

$9.53 COP 30.2K

-48.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,406

$14.04 COP 44.5K

-48.29%

Apples (1kg)

$6.84 LKR 2,265

$4.07 COP 12.9K

68.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$1.50 COP 4,742

-43.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,479

$2.17 COP 6,891

105.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 LKR 406

$2.31 COP 7,310

-46.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.93 COP 6,113

-47.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 270

$1.64 COP 5,196

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.13 COP 3,571

-18.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 145

$1.25 COP 3,954

-64.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 LKR 3,419

$3.99 COP 12.6K

158.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 LKR 4,537

$13.35 COP 42.3K

2.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 625

$1.70 COP 5,384

11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 998

$2.37 COP 7,525

27.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$1.32 COP 4,179

-71.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$2.14 COP 6,774

-82.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 293

$8.47 COP 26.8K

-89.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 441

$1.30 COP 4,114

2.31%

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

$37.8K LKR 12.5M

$28.0K COP 88.7M

34.89%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

$35.4K COP 112.3M

15.51%

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

$54.8 LKR 18.2K

$172 COP 545.6K

-68.14%

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

$4.14 LKR 1,371

$13.37 COP 42.4K

-69.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.01 LKR 6,960

$28.73 COP 91.1K

-26.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 LKR 1,475

$6.28 COP 19.9K

-29.14%

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

$37.63 LKR 12.5K

$770 COP 2.4M

-95.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,227 LKR 406.4K

$9,011 COP 28.6M

-86.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.35 LKR 6,078

$86.4 COP 274.0K

-78.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.80 LKR 5,565

$57.1 COP 181.1K

-70.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.7K

$137 COP 432.9K

-43.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.92 LKR 14.2K

$97.9 COP 310.4K

-56.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,059 COP 12.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 COP 5.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$652 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

10.94

16.00%

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

Last update for Hikkaduwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hikkaduwa

$239 46.9%

Medellin

$295 18.3% 23.5% $56

Eating Out

Hikkaduwa

$109 21.4%

Medellin

$168 10.4% 54.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hikkaduwa

$80 15.7%

Medellin

$214 13.3% 168% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Hikkaduwa

$70 13.8%

Medellin

$170 10.5% 143% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Hikkaduwa

$8.9 * 1.8%

Medellin

$58 3.6% 550% $49

Getting Around

Hikkaduwa

$2.2 * 0.4%

Medellin

$93 5.8% 4066% $91

Accommodation & Living

Hikkaduwa

- * 0%

Medellin

$616 38.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25.00 in Hikkaduwa vs $46.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $295 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

11:17 11:17 AM

10 h 30 min behind Hikkaduwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,342

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 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 LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hikkaduwa Medellin 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Hikkaduwa
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

Hikkaduwa vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hikkaduwa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 217% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $763 in Hikkaduwa and $2,421 in Medellin to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $509 per month in Hikkaduwa versus $1,614 in Medellin – a 217% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hikkaduwa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Medellin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Hikkaduwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 217% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.