Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $510 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Galle
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Galle Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Galle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $510 in Galle.

Medellin $1,692
Galle $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $829 in Galle.

Medellin $2,471
Galle $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,148 in Galle.

Medellin $3,249
Galle $1,148

Living in Medellin is roughly 232% more expensive than in Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Galle is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.8K

$3.71 LKR 1,232

124.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 149.7K

$25.23 LKR 8,390

84.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.43 LKR 2,471

27.46%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.55 LKR 847

22.75%

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

$1.77 COP 5,681

$0.73 LKR 242

142.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,582

$0.25 LKR 83.2

468.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.1K

$2.17 LKR 720

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.3K

$2.98 LKR 992

91.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,930

$1.64 LKR 546

-6.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,370

$0.57 LKR 190

301.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,257

$0.81 LKR 268

139.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,864

$1.64 LKR 547

87.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.1K

$15.40 LKR 5,120

-35.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.6K

$5.11 LKR 1,700

104.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 44.9K

$7.40 LKR 2,461

88.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.0K

$6.43 LKR 2,139

-37.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,916

$0.82 LKR 272

86.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,769

$4.22 LKR 1,404

-50.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,378

$1.32 LKR 437

73.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,785

$1.05 LKR 348

100.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,498

$0.81 LKR 271

111.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,764

$1.25 LKR 416

-6.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,083

$0.45 LKR 151

251.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.31 LKR 3,427

-62.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.2K

$13.53 LKR 4,498

3.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,667

$1.95 LKR 648

-9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,724

$2.85 LKR 947

-4.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,795

$0.16 LKR 52.4

637.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 245.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,812

$0.29 LKR 95.8

524.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,849

$0.31 LKR 104

587.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$0.87 LKR 290

834.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,102

$1.33 LKR 441

-3.76%

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

$34.4K COP 110.8M

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-19.58%

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

$34.1K COP 109.8M

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

-25.40%

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

$178 COP 571.7K

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

216.53%

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

$13.89 COP 44.7K

$4.09 LKR 1,360

239.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 98.9K

$21.08 LKR 7,009

45.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 134.9K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.0K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.0K

$4.64 LKR 1,544

60.99%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$39.64 LKR 13.2K

1893.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.6M

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

-28.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 277.7K

$18.17 LKR 6,040

375.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 190.6K

$17.46 LKR 5,807

239.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 445.0K

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

78.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 317.8K

$42.00 LKR 14.0K

135.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.1M

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 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$646 COP 2.1M

$316 LKR 105.1K

104.47%

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 Galle: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Galle

$244 47.8% 20.6% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Galle

$81 15.9% 63.4% $141

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Galle

$103 20.2% 40.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Galle

$70 13.7% 59.4% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Galle

$2.5 * 0.5% 97.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Galle

$9.3 * 1.8% 83.7% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

Medellin pays about 2 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Galle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $244 per month, with Galle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

19:04 7:04 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

100,000

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 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 = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,615 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 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 Galle 17,000 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galle is about 70% 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 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 $790 in Medellin versus $40 in Galle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Galle – 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 $510 in Galle versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Galle but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Galle 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 – Galle wins on affordability, Medellin on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.