Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Dambulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 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
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
Learn more

Dambulla Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Dambulla

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $505 in Dambulla, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Dambulla $505

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $818 in Dambulla, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Dambulla $818

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,131 in Dambulla, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Dambulla $1,131

Medellin costs about 225% more than Dambulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.85 LKR 1,281

110.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$25.00 LKR 8,311

88.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.66 LKR 2,546

24.02%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.47 LKR 821

21.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.67 LKR 224

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.27 LKR 89.9

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.27 LKR 753

40.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$2.93 LKR 975

96.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.63 LKR 543

-7.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.56 LKR 188

325.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.77 LKR 254

129.87%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.63 LKR 542

77.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$13.55 LKR 4,504

-24.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.92 LKR 1,635

100.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.30 LKR 2,428

91.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.47 LKR 2,152

-38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.87 LKR 289

78.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.33 LKR 1,441

-49.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.32 LKR 440

65.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.01 LKR 336

94.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.79 LKR 262

101.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.87 LKR 289

32.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.43 LKR 142

188.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$10.35 LKR 3,440

-61.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$12.67 LKR 4,214

7.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.89 LKR 627

-12.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.93 LKR 974

-22.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.07 LKR 23.76

1571.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.38 LKR 126

234.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.38 LKR 125

439.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$0.87 LKR 289

882.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.37 LKR 456

-1.46%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-22.12%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-15.37%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

183.89%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$4.30 LKR 1,431

215.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.98 LKR 6,976

33.79%

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

$4.57 LKR 1,520

51.20%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

2037.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,199 LKR 398.5K

660.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$18.35 LKR 6,102

361.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$16.43 LKR 5,462

252.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

72.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

138.53%

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

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 Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Dambulla

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Dambulla

$234 46.4% 21.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Dambulla

$85 16.9% 59.7% $126

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Dambulla

$104 20.7% 38.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Dambulla

$69 13.7% 59% $100

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5% 97.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8% 84.1% $48

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 $25 in Dambulla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

01:52 1:52 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

68,800

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Dambulla 16,950 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Dambulla

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 Dambulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,639 in Medellin, $505 in Dambulla – Dambulla comes out roughly 69% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $757 in Dambulla. 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 $25 in Dambulla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Dambulla 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 $505 in Dambulla to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.