Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $1,614 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
Learn more

Bentota Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,614

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,614 in Medellin versus $774 in Bentota.

Medellin $1,614
Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,402 in Medellin versus $896 in Bentota.

Medellin $2,402
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,190 in Medellin versus $1,018 in Bentota.

Medellin $3,190
Bentota $1,018

Living in Medellin is roughly 109% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Bentota is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 COP 25.2K

$4.29 LKR 1,421

84.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.13 COP 146.3K

$11.97 LKR 3,965

285.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.73 LKR 2,560

22.90%

Cappuccino

$3.11 COP 9,866

$2.46 LKR 815

26.42%

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

$1.83 COP 5,800

$0.68 LKR 225

169.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,360

$0.25 LKR 82.2

452.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 COP 9,672

$2.24 LKR 742

36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 COP 17.4K

$3.07 LKR 1,016

79.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 COP 4,600

$1.62 LKR 535

-10.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 COP 7,496

$0.53 LKR 176

345.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 COP 5,328

$0.74 LKR 244

127.03%

Eggs

$2.86 COP 9,077

$1.56 LKR 518

83.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.3K

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-27.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 COP 30.2K

$3.32 LKR 1,099

187.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 COP 44.5K

$4.62 LKR 1,529

203.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.07 COP 12.9K

$6.81 LKR 2,257

-40.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 COP 4,742

$0.73 LKR 241

105.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 COP 6,891

$4.59 LKR 1,519

-52.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 COP 7,310

$0.90 LKR 297

156.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 COP 6,113

$1.00 LKR 331

93.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 COP 5,196

$0.79 LKR 263

107.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 COP 3,571

$0.94 LKR 312

20.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 COP 3,954

$0.43 LKR 143

190.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 COP 12.6K

$10.13 LKR 3,356

-60.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.35 COP 42.3K

$13.36 LKR 4,424

-0.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 COP 5,384

$1.95 LKR 645

-12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 COP 7,525

$2.91 LKR 963

-18.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 COP 3,827

$0.18 LKR 61.0

572.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.5 COP 242.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 COP 4,179

$0.40 LKR 133

230.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 COP 6,774

$0.31 LKR 103

590.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.47 COP 26.8K

$0.87 LKR 289

873.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 COP 4,114

$1.39 LKR 461

-6.47%

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

$28.0K COP 88.7M

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

-24.69%

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

$35.4K COP 112.3M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-11.74%

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

$172 COP 545.6K

$54.0 LKR 17.9K

218.45%

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

$13.37 COP 42.4K

$2.23 LKR 739

499.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.73 COP 91.1K

$9.03 LKR 2,990

218.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.24 COP 143.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.04 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 COP 19.9K

$4.28 LKR 1,417

46.73%

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

$770 COP 2.4M

$38.08 LKR 12.6K

1922.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,011 COP 28.6M

$1,230 LKR 407.3K

632.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 COP 274.0K

$17.80 LKR 5,897

385.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 COP 181.1K

$16.82 LKR 5,573

239.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 COP 432.9K

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

69.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 310.4K

$42.09 LKR 13.9K

132.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 COP 3.3M

$541 LKR 179.2K

94.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$616 COP 2.0M

$298 LKR 98.7K

106.64%

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 %)

10.94

12.69

-13.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$616 38.2%

Bentota

$298 38.5% 51.6% $318

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$295 18.3%

Bentota

$220 28.5% 25.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$214 13.3%

Bentota

$65 8.4% 69.5% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$170 10.5%

Bentota

$71 9.1% 58.4% $99

Eating Out

Medellin

$168 10.4%

Bentota

$108 14% 35.8% $60

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.8%

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4% 97.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.6%

Bentota

$8.6 * 1.1% 85.2% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Medellin and $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Medellin vs $12.00 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $220 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

05:05 5:05 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

37,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Bentota 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 109% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,421 in Medellin and $1,160 in Bentota 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,055 in Medellin versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Medellin. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,614 per month in Medellin versus $774 in Bentota – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Bentota versus $1,614 in Medellin, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bentota 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 Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 109% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.