Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Amparai

For one person, living is cheaper in Amparai: $502 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Amparai
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Amparai Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Amparai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Amparai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $502 in Amparai.

Medellin $1,639
Amparai $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $814 in Amparai.

Medellin $2,413
Amparai $814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $1,126 in Amparai.

Medellin $3,186
Amparai $1,126

Living in Medellin is roughly 227% more expensive than in Amparai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Amparai is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.79 LKR 1,261

113.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$24.61 LKR 8,183

91.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.42 LKR 2,467

28.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.48 LKR 824

21.37%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.67 LKR 221

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.27 LKR 90.4

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.25 LKR 749

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.94 LKR 978

95.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.64 LKR 544

-7.93%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.53 LKR 176

349.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.81 LKR 269

118.52%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.72 LKR 573

68.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$13.94 LKR 4,636

-26.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$5.01 LKR 1,666

97.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.61 LKR 2,529

83.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.65 LKR 2,210

-40.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.86 LKR 287

80.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.30 LKR 1,429

-49.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.27 LKR 422

71.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.05 LKR 349

86.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.83 LKR 276

91.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.94 LKR 314

22.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.42 LKR 139

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$10.34 LKR 3,439

-61.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$12.93 LKR 4,298

5.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.96 LKR 653

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.93 LKR 973

-22.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.37 LKR 125

243.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.37 LKR 124

454.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$0.94 LKR 313

809.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.34 LKR 447

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$44.5K LKR 14.8M

-23.38%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

-15.82%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.7 LKR 19.8K

184.31%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$4.23 LKR 1,407

220.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.72 LKR 6,887

35.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$1.84 LKR 610

275.54%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

2048.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,226 LKR 407.8K

642.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$18.05 LKR 6,002

369.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$16.88 LKR 5,611

243.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

74.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$42.12 LKR 14.0K

132.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

615.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

12.69

-13.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Amparai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Amparai

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Amparai

$239 47.5% 19.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Amparai

$85 16.9% 59.9% $127

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Amparai

$103 20.6% 39.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Amparai

$70 13.9% 58.8% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Amparai

$2.2 * 0.5% 97.6% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Amparai

$3.7 * 0.7% 93.6% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays about 7.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Amparai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $239 per month, with Amparai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Amparai

🕒 Local time

17:57 5:57 PM

04:27 4:27 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

110,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Amparai 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Amparai

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

Medellin vs Amparai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amparai is about 69% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Medellin is about 7.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $797 in Medellin versus $37 in Amparai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Amparai – a meal for two runs $25 versus $47 in Medellin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $502 in Amparai versus $1,639 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Amparai but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Amparai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Amparai wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.