Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $396 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
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Negombo Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$396

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Negombo

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $396 in Negombo, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Negombo $396

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $639 in Negombo, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Negombo $639

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $883 in Negombo, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Negombo $883

Medellin costs about 314% more than Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Negombo is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 26.1K

$3.74 LKR 1,245

116.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 151.9K

$16.39 LKR 5,451

187.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.7K

$7.40 LKR 2,462

28.38%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,735

$1.28 LKR 427

135.16%

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

$1.80 COP 5,809

$0.73 LKR 242

146.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,561

$0.27 LKR 90.0

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.3K

$2.21 LKR 736

43.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.6K

$3.04 LKR 1,012

89.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,876

$1.56 LKR 520

-3.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,678

$0.56 LKR 187

325.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,720

$0.75 LKR 251

136.00%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,333

$1.63 LKR 543

77.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.9K

$13.51 LKR 4,494

-24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.9K

$4.34 LKR 1,442

127.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 45.2K

$6.09 LKR 2,026

129.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.8K

$1.78 LKR 590

123.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 5,012

$0.67 LKR 224

131.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,048

$2.30 LKR 766

-5.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 7,051

$1.16 LKR 385

87.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,337

$0.79 LKR 264

148.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,132

$0.83 LKR 277

91.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,699

$0.95 LKR 316

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 4,014

$0.46 LKR 152

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.8K

$10.19 LKR 3,390

-61.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 44.2K

$13.06 LKR 4,343

4.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,359

$1.95 LKR 650

-14.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,291

$2.92 LKR 972

-22.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,771

$0.31 LKR 104

277.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,094

$0.38 LKR 125

234.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,612

$0.35 LKR 115

485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.6K

$0.90 LKR 298

850.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,349

$1.02 LKR 339

32.35%

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

$34.1K COP 110.0M

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

-21.34%

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

$34.7K COP 111.9M

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-13.01%

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

$170 COP 547.8K

$25.79 LKR 8,576

557.81%

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

$13.55 COP 43.8K

$4.22 LKR 1,403

221.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 90.6K

$20.43 LKR 6,795

37.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 141.1K

$15.34 LKR 5,100

184.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 55.5K

$9.00 LKR 2,994

91.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 22.3K

$2.46 LKR 817

180.89%

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

$797 COP 2.6M

$37.18 LKR 12.4K

2042.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 29.4M

$458 LKR 152.5K

1887.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 273.5K

$9.13 LKR 3,037

827.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 187.2K

$16.32 LKR 5,427

255.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 435.8K

$35.70 LKR 11.9K

278.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 316.0K

$24.49 LKR 8,143

299.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$178 LKR 59.1K

269.49%

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 Negombo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Negombo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Negombo

$194 49.1% 34.6% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Negombo

$50 12.8% 76.1% $161

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Negombo

$89 22.4% 47.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Negombo

$39 9.7% 77.2% $130

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.9% 96.4% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Negombo

$20 5.1% 64.8% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.7 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $16 in Negombo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $194 – making Negombo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Negombo

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

14:49 2:49 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

142,449

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,603 COP (10,000 COP = 2.78 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Negombo 16,910 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Negombo

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 Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 314%, 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 $593 in Negombo. 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 $16 in Negombo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Negombo, where all-in costs run around $396, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Negombo 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 $396 in Negombo to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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