Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $576 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Matara

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $576 in Matara, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Matara $576

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $839 in Matara, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Matara $839

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,102 in Matara, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Matara $1,102

Medellin costs about 185% more than Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Matara is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.73 LKR 1,241

116.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$24.54 LKR 8,159

91.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.53 LKR 2,503

26.16%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.44 LKR 810

23.36%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.67 LKR 222

168.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.25 LKR 83.1

464.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.23 LKR 741

42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.06 LKR 1,017

87.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.56 LKR 519

-3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.53 LKR 177

349.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.76 LKR 253

132.89%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.53 LKR 509

88.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$13.58 LKR 4,514

-24.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.84 LKR 1,609

103.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.26 LKR 2,415

92.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.71 LKR 2,230

-40.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.43 LKR 142

260.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.46 LKR 1,481

-51.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$0.91 LKR 302

139.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$0.92 LKR 306

113.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.58 LKR 193

174.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.89 LKR 295

29.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.46 LKR 151

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$9.85 LKR 3,276

-59.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$12.94 LKR 4,303

5.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.79 LKR 596

-7.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$3.00 LKR 997

-24.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$0.31 LKR 104

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.40 LKR 133

217.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$0.35 LKR 115

485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$0.95 LKR 317

800.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.38 LKR 458

-2.17%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-23.00%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-16.13%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$46.17 LKR 15.4K

267.45%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$4.22 LKR 1,403

221.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.99 LKR 6,977

33.73%

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

$4.60 LKR 1,530

50.22%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$38.17 LKR 12.7K

1987.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,204 LKR 400.4K

656.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$18.04 LKR 5,997

369.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$16.90 LKR 5,618

242.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

71.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

134.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$179 LKR 59.6K

574.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$90.1 LKR 30.0K

612.11%

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

$105 LKR 34.8K

528.12%

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 Matara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Matara

$90 15.7% 86% $551

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Matara

$229 39.8% 22.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Matara

$71 12.4% 66.2% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Matara

$103 17.8% 39.5% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Matara

$70 12.2% 58.6% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6% 96.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Matara

$9.2 * 1.6% 84% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $179 in Matara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Medellin are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $25 in Matara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $229 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

03:57 3:57 AM

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 = 3.18 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

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Between locations

Medellin Matara 17,040 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 185%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $864 in Matara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $179 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $576 in Matara. That makes Matara about 65% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Medellin and $38 in Matara. 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 Matara, where all-in costs run around $576, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Matara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.