Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $471 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$471

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Ratnapura

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Medellin vs $471 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Medellin $1,589
Ratnapura $471

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Medellin vs $766 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Medellin $2,364
Ratnapura $766

A family of three spends $3,139 per month in Medellin vs $1,062 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Medellin $3,139
Ratnapura $1,062

Medellin costs about 238% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 19% above the global median, while Ratnapura is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 COP 25.5K

$1.99 LKR 659

302.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 COP 148.3K

$9.15 LKR 3,028

408.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 COP 30.1K

$5.89 LKR 1,949

60.10%

Cappuccino

$2.91 COP 9,277

$2.17 LKR 718

34.10%

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

$1.75 COP 5,585

$0.74 LKR 245

136.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 COP 4,218

$0.47 LKR 155

180.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.13 COP 9,969

$1.93 LKR 639

62.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 COP 17.7K

$2.74 LKR 908

102.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 COP 4,495

$1.77 LKR 586

-20.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 COP 7,777

$0.75 LKR 247

225.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 COP 5,191

$0.63 LKR 208

158.73%

Eggs

$2.82 COP 8,990

$1.11 LKR 368

154.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 COP 30.9K

$15.11 LKR 5,000

-35.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 COP 29.7K

$6.30 LKR 2,086

47.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.46 COP 42.9K

$15.80 LKR 5,228

-14.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 COP 12.8K

$4.18 LKR 1,382

-4.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 COP 4,719

$0.72 LKR 237

105.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 COP 6,768

$4.22 LKR 1,397

-49.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 COP 7,178

$0.99 LKR 329

127.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 COP 6,092

$1.05 LKR 348

81.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 COP 5,160

$1.36 LKR 451

19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,658

$0.47 LKR 154

144.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 COP 4,021

$0.44 LKR 145

186.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.82 COP 12.2K

$12.91 LKR 4,270

-70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.11 COP 41.8K

$12.87 LKR 4,259

1.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 COP 5,083

$2.09 LKR 691

-23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,188

$2.81 LKR 931

-19.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,731

$0.37 LKR 124

216.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,056

$0.38 LKR 125

234.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,531

$0.44 LKR 145

365.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 COP 4,046

$0.97 LKR 322

30.93%

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

$26.8K COP 85.3M

$19.5K LKR 6.4M

37.38%

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

$34.4K COP 109.6M

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

75.43%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

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

$13.12 COP 41.8K

$2.08 LKR 688

530.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.09 COP 89.5K

$7.36 LKR 2,434

281.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.33 COP 141.2K

$9.19 LKR 3,041

382.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 COP 19.4K

$2.46 LKR 815

147.56%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 COP 270.8K

$10.68 LKR 3,535

695.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.5 COP 183.2K

$7.54 LKR 2,495

662.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 COP 419.8K

$85.6 LKR 28.3K

53.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 COP 305.1K

$25.29 LKR 8,365

278.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$76.6 LKR 25.4K

1241.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 COP 1.9M

$54.9 LKR 18.1K

1002.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 COP 3.2M

$83.2 LKR 27.5K

1093.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 COP 2.0M

$167 LKR 55.3K

274.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$604 38.3%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5% 90.9% $550

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$288 18.3%

Ratnapura

$258 54% 10.4% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$203 12.9%

Ratnapura

$9.4 * 2% 95.4% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 65.1% $108

Eating Out

Medellin

$166 10.6%

Ratnapura

$80 16.7% 52.1% $87

Getting Around

Medellin

$91 5.8%

Ratnapura

$4.1 * 0.9% 95.5% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.6%

Ratnapura

$14 3% 75% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $76.6 in Ratnapura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 274% higher in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $9.00 in Ratnapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $258 – making Ratnapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

06:44 6:44 AM

17:14 5:14 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

52,100

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Ratnapura 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 238%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Medellin and $706 in Ratnapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $9.00 in Ratnapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $471, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Ratnapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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