Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $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 Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Nuwara Eliya

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $510 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Nuwara Eliya $510

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $827 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Nuwara Eliya $827

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,145 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Nuwara Eliya $1,145

Medellin costs about 232% more than Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.85 LKR 1,282

116.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$24.56 LKR 8,169

89.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.65 LKR 2,545

23.79%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.43 LKR 809

28.81%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.37 LKR 122

378.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.25 LKR 82.5

468.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.19 LKR 728

43.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.03 LKR 1,008

88.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.56 LKR 520

-1.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.53 LKR 175

332.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.74 LKR 247

162.16%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.70 LKR 564

80.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.44 LKR 5,136

-35.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.10 LKR 1,696

104.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.42 LKR 2,467

88.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.74 LKR 2,243

-39.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.84 LKR 279

82.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.17 LKR 1,388

-49.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.27 LKR 422

80.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.08 LKR 360

95.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.83 LKR 276

106.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.21 LKR 403

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.45 LKR 150

251.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.43 LKR 3,471

-62.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.78 LKR 4,582

1.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.93 LKR 643

-8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.97 LKR 989

-8.75%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

389.19%

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

$0.86 LKR 286

845.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.33 LKR 441

-3.76%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-21.22%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-25.20%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

215.12%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.13 LKR 1,375

236.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.61 LKR 6,854

49.15%

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

$4.50 LKR 1,496

66.00%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

1878.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

-29.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$18.00 LKR 5,988

379.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$17.55 LKR 5,838

237.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

73.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

140.47%

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 Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1% 20.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9% 63.5% $141

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1% 40.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8% 59.2% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4% 97.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 84.2% $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 Nuwara Eliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $245 – making Nuwara Eliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

27,500

💱 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 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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Between locations

Medellin Nuwara Eliya 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 232%, 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 $764 in Nuwara Eliya. 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 $25 in Nuwara Eliya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nuwara Eliya, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Nuwara Eliya 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 $510 in Nuwara Eliya to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.