Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bandarawela

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
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Bandarawela Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$451

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bandarawela

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

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

Medellin $1,692
Bandarawela $451

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

Medellin $2,471
Bandarawela $743

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

Medellin $3,249
Bandarawela $1,034

Medellin costs about 275% more than Bandarawela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$1.32 LKR 439

531.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$24.43 LKR 8,126

90.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.60 LKR 2,527

24.61%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$1.49 LKR 494

110.07%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.61 LKR 204

190.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.27 LKR 90.5

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.16 LKR 719

45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.42 LKR 806

135.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.62 LKR 539

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.34 LKR 115

573.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.62 LKR 206

212.90%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.05 LKR 350

192.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.54 LKR 5,170

-35.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$3.57 LKR 1,189

192.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.77 LKR 2,584

79.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.75 LKR 2,246

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.57 LKR 190

168.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.15 LKR 1,379

-49.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.28 LKR 427

78.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$0.86 LKR 286

145.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.55 LKR 183

210.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.25 LKR 417

-6.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.42 LKR 140

276.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$9.61 LKR 3,196

-59.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.75 LKR 4,573

2.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.89 LKR 627

-6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.90 LKR 966

-6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.37 LKR 124

389.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.31 LKR 103

587.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$0.87 LKR 291

834.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.37 LKR 455

-6.57%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

-20.50%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

-25.94%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$56.6 LKR 18.8K

213.96%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$3.36 LKR 1,117

313.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$5.96 LKR 1,982

415.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$6.04 LKR 2,010

594.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$4.49 LKR 1,495

274.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$2.37 LKR 787

215.19%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$40.60 LKR 13.5K

1846.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

-29.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$18.42 LKR 6,125

368.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$17.70 LKR 5,887

234.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$80.2 LKR 26.7K

72.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$42.25 LKR 14.1K

133.87%

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 13.2M

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 %)

10.94

12.5

-12.48%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bandarawela: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Bandarawela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Bandarawela

$231 51.2% 24.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Bandarawela

$66 14.6% 70.3% $156

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Bandarawela

$70 15.6% 59.2% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Bandarawela

$71 15.8% 58.6% $101

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Bandarawela

$1.9 * 0.4% 98% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Bandarawela

$11 2.4% 81.1% $46

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 in Medellin versus $24 in Bandarawela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $231 – making Bandarawela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

15:55 3:55 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

8,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bandarawela 17,040 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bandarawela

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 Bandarawela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Bandarawela. 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.