Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

Jump to prices

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ragama

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $502 in Ragama, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Ragama $502

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $816 in Ragama, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Ragama $816

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,129 in Ragama, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Ragama $1,129

Medellin costs about 226% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Ragama is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$3.89 LKR 1,294

107.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$25.24 LKR 8,390

86.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$7.42 LKR 2,467

28.03%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$2.45 LKR 815

22.86%

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

$1.80 COP 5,660

$0.73 LKR 243

146.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$0.27 LKR 90.2

422.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$2.26 LKR 750

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$3.01 LKR 1,000

91.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.43 LKR 474

5.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$0.50 LKR 165

376.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$0.68 LKR 227

160.29%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$1.66 LKR 551

74.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$14.02 LKR 4,660

-27.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$4.82 LKR 1,603

104.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$7.40 LKR 2,460

89.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$6.56 LKR 2,180

-39.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$0.81 LKR 270

91.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$4.32 LKR 1,435

-49.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$1.32 LKR 437

65.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.04 LKR 345

88.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$0.77 LKR 255

106.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$0.92 LKR 306

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$0.45 LKR 150

175.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$10.17 LKR 3,380

-61.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$12.95 LKR 4,304

5.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.91 LKR 636

-13.09%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$0.38 LKR 126

234.21%

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

$0.87 LKR 288

882.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.34 LKR 444

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-22.65%

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

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-13.19%

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

$170 COP 533.7K

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

192.45%

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

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$4.24 LKR 1,409

219.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$20.84 LKR 6,927

34.69%

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

$4.42 LKR 1,471

56.33%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

2034.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

648.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$18.43 LKR 6,126

359.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$16.62 LKR 5,526

248.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

69.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

132.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

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

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 Ragama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Ragama

$234 46.5% 21.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Ragama

$83 16.5% 60.7% $128

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Ragama

$104 20.7% 38.6% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Ragama

$70 14% 58.3% $99

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 84.6% $49

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 Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

03:37 3:37 AM

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 = 3.18 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medellin Ragama 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 226%, 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 $753 in Ragama. 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 Ragama. 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $502, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Ragama 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 $502 in Ragama to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.