Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $707 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $707 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $707

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $1,096 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,096

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,485 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,485

Medellin costs about 130% more than Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$3.84 LKR 1,271

116.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$25.15 LKR 8,331

86.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$7.65 LKR 2,533

20.78%

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$2.57 LKR 852

18.68%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.73 LKR 241

146.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.25 LKR 81.8

452.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

$2.22 LKR 735

45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

$2.98 LKR 989

86.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$1.27 LKR 421

18.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.58 LKR 191

308.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$0.74 LKR 246

129.73%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.72 LKR 568

72.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$13.81 LKR 4,576

-26.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$4.41 LKR 1,462

120.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$5.29 LKR 1,754

162.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$6.21 LKR 2,058

-33.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$0.84 LKR 279

82.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$4.36 LKR 1,445

-49.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$1.20 LKR 397

89.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.87 LKR 288

128.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.82 LKR 270

103.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.88 LKR 291

34.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.46 LKR 151

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$9.15 LKR 3,031

-57.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

$12.73 LKR 4,216

8.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

$1.95 LKR 645

-14.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

$3.02 LKR 1,001

-20.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$0.31 LKR 103

312.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.38 LKR 125

465.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

$0.88 LKR 292

851.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$1.15 LKR 381

17.39%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-20.07%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-15.37%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

$45.62 LKR 15.1K

265.30%

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$4.36 LKR 1,445

212.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$12.16 LKR 4,028

139.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$14.89 LKR 4,933

202.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$3.08 LKR 1,020

126.30%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$37.61 LKR 12.5K

2000.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$896 LKR 296.9K

908.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$18.40 LKR 6,093

377.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$16.89 LKR 5,593

244.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$79.3 LKR 26.3K

75.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$41.35 LKR 13.7K

139.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$307 LKR 101.7K

234.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$224 LKR 74.1K

176.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$445 LKR 147.4K

322.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$382 LKR 126.4K

164.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

$692 LKR 229.3K

476.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

$531 LKR 175.9K

220.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$298 LKR 98.8K

122.48%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$224 31.7% 63.9% $396

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.4% 25.6% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$62 8.8% 70.3% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$70 9.9% 59.4% $103

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$105 14.9% 38.3% $65

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2.2 * 0.3% 97.7% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3% 64.3% $38

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 $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. 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 122% 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 $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $222 – making Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

14:20 2:20 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

115,826 Capital

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Medellin Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 16,930 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $1,060 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Medellin and $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte – 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. 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.