Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Katunayaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $511 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 Katunayaka
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Katunayaka Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Katunayaka

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $511 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Katunayaka $511

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $831 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Katunayaka $831

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,150 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Katunayaka $1,150

Medellin costs about 231% more than Katunayaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Katunayaka is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.90 LKR 1,297

113.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$25.05 LKR 8,331

85.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.69 LKR 2,558

23.15%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.55 LKR 847

22.75%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.67 LKR 224

164.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.27 LKR 89.9

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.17 LKR 723

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.06 LKR 1,016

86.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.62 LKR 540

-5.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.53 LKR 178

332.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.79 LKR 264

145.57%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.63 LKR 543

88.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.37 LKR 5,111

-35.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.06 LKR 1,684

106.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.57 LKR 2,519

84.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.46 LKR 2,149

-37.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.89 LKR 297

71.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.28 LKR 1,424

-50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.29 LKR 428

77.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.04 LKR 346

102.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.81 LKR 270

111.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.21 LKR 401

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.45 LKR 151

251.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.08 LKR 3,352

-61.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.40 LKR 4,456

4.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.87 LKR 621

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.83 LKR 941

-4.24%

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

$0.38 LKR 126

376.32%

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

$0.94 LKR 311

764.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.32 LKR 439

-3.03%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$44.3K LKR 14.7M

-22.32%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$44.9K LKR 14.9M

-23.91%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$55.9 LKR 18.6K

217.83%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.22 LKR 1,405

229.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.66 LKR 6,870

48.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$4.52 LKR 1,504

65.27%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$40.29 LKR 13.4K

1860.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-28.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$18.02 LKR 5,993

379.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$17.52 LKR 5,829

238.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$78.9 LKR 26.3K

75.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$41.78 LKR 13.9K

136.50%

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 Katunayaka: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Katunayaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Katunayaka

$243 47.6% 20.8% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Katunayaka

$81 15.8% 63.7% $142

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Katunayaka

$106 20.7% 38.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Katunayaka

$70 13.8% 59.2% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Katunayaka

$1.9 * 0.4% 97.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Katunayaka

$9 * 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 Katunayaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $243 – making Katunayaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

06:28 6:28 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

84,643

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 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 = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 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 = 2.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Katunayaka 16,910 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Katunayaka

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 Katunayaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 231%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Medellin and $767 in Katunayaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,692 in Medellin and $511 in Katunayaka. That makes Katunayaka about 70% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $40 in Katunayaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Katunayaka, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Katunayaka 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 $511 in Katunayaka to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.