Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Polonnaruwa

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

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Polonnaruwa

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

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

Medellin $1,692
Polonnaruwa $510

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $829 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Polonnaruwa $829

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,148 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Polonnaruwa $1,148

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.89 LKR 1,294

114.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$25.28 LKR 8,410

84.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.32 LKR 2,435

29.37%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.56 LKR 850

22.27%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.69 LKR 228

156.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.27 LKR 89.8

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.17 LKR 721

45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.98 LKR 990

91.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.58 LKR 526

-3.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.54 LKR 178

324.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.81 LKR 269

139.51%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.70 LKR 567

80.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.24 LKR 5,069

-34.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.93 LKR 1,639

111.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.66 LKR 2,547

82.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.48 LKR 2,156

-37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.81 LKR 269

88.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-50.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.27 LKR 423

80.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.04 LKR 345

102.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.77 LKR 255

122.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.26 LKR 419

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.42 LKR 139

276.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.10 LKR 3,358

-61.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.57 LKR 4,513

3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.87 LKR 622

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.98 LKR 990

-9.06%

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 102

587.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$0.86 LKR 285

845.35%

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

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-22.49%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-25.04%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

206.54%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.27 LKR 1,419

225.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.36 LKR 6,772

50.98%

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

$4.60 LKR 1,532

62.39%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

1863.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-28.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$18.01 LKR 5,989

379.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$17.32 LKR 5,761

242.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

75.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

140.71%

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 Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 21.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 62.9% $140

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 39.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 59.5% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4% 98% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 83.8% $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 Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $242 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

15:15 3:15 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

15,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Polonnaruwa 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: 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 $765 in Polonnaruwa. 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 Polonnaruwa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.