Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Kalutara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $612 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
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Kalutara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Kalutara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,692 in Medellin versus $612 in Kalutara.

Medellin $1,692
Kalutara $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,471 in Medellin versus $896 in Kalutara.

Medellin $2,471
Kalutara $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,249 in Medellin versus $1,179 in Kalutara.

Medellin $3,249
Kalutara $1,179

Living in Medellin is roughly 176% more expensive than in Kalutara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 25% above, Kalutara is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.86 LKR 1,285

116.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.3K

$24.82 LKR 8,252

87.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.6K

$7.38 LKR 2,453

28.32%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.43 LKR 807

28.81%

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

$1.77 COP 5,704

$0.68 LKR 228

160.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,600

$0.25 LKR 82.5

468.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.26 LKR 752

39.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.98 LKR 991

91.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,949

$1.62 LKR 537

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,399

$0.54 LKR 179

324.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,281

$0.75 LKR 249

158.67%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,902

$1.68 LKR 560

82.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.3K

$15.02 LKR 4,994

-33.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.98 LKR 1,655

109.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.1K

$7.47 LKR 2,485

86.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.67 LKR 2,217

-39.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,936

$0.87 LKR 290

75.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,795

$4.10 LKR 1,363

-48.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,407

$1.33 LKR 441

72.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,812

$1.08 LKR 358

95.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,519

$0.84 LKR 279

103.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,779

$1.21 LKR 402

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,102

$0.46 LKR 152

243.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.41 LKR 3,460

-62.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.4K

$13.48 LKR 4,484

4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,689

$1.95 LKR 649

-9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,758

$2.95 LKR 980

-8.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,810

$0.13 LKR 44.22

807.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.4K

$9.00 LKR 2,993

747.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,835

$0.37 LKR 123

389.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,876

$0.18 LKR 58.6

1083.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.3K

$0.94 LKR 313

764.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,118

$1.38 LKR 459

-7.25%

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

$34.4K COP 111.2M

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-22.39%

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

$34.1K COP 110.2M

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

-23.84%

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

$178 COP 573.9K

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

212.96%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.19 LKR 1,393

231.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.3K

$21.12 LKR 7,024

45.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.4K

$9.19 LKR 3,056

356.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.3K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.61 LKR 1,534

62.04%

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

$790 COP 2.6M

$40.52 LKR 13.5K

1849.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-27.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.8K

$17.99 LKR 5,981

379.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.4K

$17.26 LKR 5,740

243.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.7K

$77.9 LKR 25.9K

77.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 319.1K

$40.87 LKR 13.6K

141.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$85.5 LKR 28.4K

680.21%

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 Kalutara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Kalutara

$86 14% 87.2% $582

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Kalutara

$243 39.7% 20.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Kalutara

$82 13.4% 63.1% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Kalutara

$103 16.9% 40.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Kalutara

$69 11.3% 59.8% $103

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Kalutara

$11 1.8% 88.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Kalutara

$18 3% 67.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $25 in Kalutara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $243 per month, with Kalutara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

18:47 6:47 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

39,600

💱 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,627 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Kalutara 16,950 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Kalutara

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 Kalutara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalutara wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalutara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,538 in Medellin and $919 in Kalutara 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.

A monthly transit pass in Kalutara runs roughly 88% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $790 in Medellin versus $41 in Kalutara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $612 in Kalutara versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $800 budget is realistic in Kalutara but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Kalutara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kalutara delivers better value at $612 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kalutara hard to pass up.