Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $506 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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 Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $506 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Anuradhapura $506

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $820 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Anuradhapura $820

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,134 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Anuradhapura $1,134

Medellin costs about 221% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Anuradhapura is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.75 LKR 1,242

121.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$24.57 LKR 8,139

90.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.52 LKR 2,490

22.87%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.44 LKR 810

25.00%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.68 LKR 227

164.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.27 LKR 89.9

411.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.23 LKR 738

45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.99 LKR 990

85.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.61 LKR 534

-6.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.57 LKR 189

315.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.81 LKR 269

109.88%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.63 LKR 541

81.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.86 LKR 4,590

-26.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.92 LKR 1,630

97.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$7.26 LKR 2,405

91.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$6.67 LKR 2,208

-38.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.86 LKR 286

77.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.46 LKR 1,476

-50.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.26 LKR 418

80.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$1.00 LKR 330

99.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.83 LKR 274

101.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.93 LKR 308

26.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.43 LKR 142

188.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$10.39 LKR 3,441

-62.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$13.07 LKR 4,330

5.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.96 LKR 648

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$2.90 LKR 961

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.40 LKR 134

220.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.37 LKR 123

481.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$0.88 LKR 292

851.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.34 LKR 443

0.75%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-20.11%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-13.46%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

185.07%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$4.23 LKR 1,401

221.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$21.09 LKR 6,984

38.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$4.41 LKR 1,460

58.05%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

1975.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

638.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$18.46 LKR 6,115

375.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$16.65 LKR 5,515

249.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

72.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

135.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

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 19, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9% 20.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6% 60% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Anuradhapura

$71 14% 59% $102

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3% 39.8% $68

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5% 97.6% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7% 85.1% $50

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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $25.00 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $237 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

13:07 1:07 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

63,200

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Anuradhapura 16,900 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $506 in Anuradhapura – roughly 221% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $759 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $25.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Anuradhapura 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 $506 in Anuradhapura to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Anuradhapura. 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.