Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Trincomalee

For one person, living is cheaper in Trincomalee: $509 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
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Medellin Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Trincomalee
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Trincomalee Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Trincomalee

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Trincomalee

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

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $509 in Trincomalee, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Trincomalee $509

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $826 in Trincomalee, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Trincomalee $826

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $1,143 in Trincomalee, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Trincomalee $1,143

Medellin costs about 222% more than Trincomalee, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$3.91 LKR 1,300

106.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.9K

$25.21 LKR 8,380

86.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.1K

$7.75 LKR 2,575

22.58%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,540

$2.53 LKR 840

18.97%

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

$1.80 COP 5,693

$0.73 LKR 242

146.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,469

$0.25 LKR 82.3

464.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.25 LKR 749

41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$2.98 LKR 992

92.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,778

$1.62 LKR 538

-6.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,524

$0.52 LKR 174

357.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,606

$0.74 LKR 247

139.19%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,146

$1.64 LKR 545

76.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$14.05 LKR 4,670

-27.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$4.98 LKR 1,655

98.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.3K

$7.30 LKR 2,425

91.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$6.62 LKR 2,201

-40.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,911

$0.87 LKR 289

78.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,907

$4.46 LKR 1,481

-51.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,910

$1.33 LKR 441

63.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,210

$1.03 LKR 344

90.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,029

$0.76 LKR 254

109.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,625

$0.95 LKR 315

21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,934

$0.42 LKR 140

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$10.11 LKR 3,362

-60.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$13.10 LKR 4,354

4.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,252

$1.90 LKR 631

-12.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,145

$2.90 LKR 965

-22.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,013

$0.40 LKR 134

217.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,480

$0.35 LKR 116

485.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.1K

$0.88 LKR 293

871.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,262

$1.34 LKR 446

0.75%

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

$34.1K COP 107.8M

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-22.55%

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

$34.7K COP 109.7M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-13.53%

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

$170 COP 536.8K

$58.2 LKR 19.3K

191.60%

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

$13.55 COP 42.9K

$4.17 LKR 1,388

224.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.8K

$20.63 LKR 6,858

36.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.4K

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.45 LKR 1,479

55.28%

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

$797 COP 2.5M

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

1989.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$1,193 LKR 396.6K

663.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 268.1K

$17.98 LKR 5,976

371.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.4K

$16.87 LKR 5,608

243.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 427.1K

$80.5 LKR 26.8K

67.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.7K

$42.56 LKR 14.1K

129.96%

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 13.2M

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 Trincomalee: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Trincomalee

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Trincomalee

$238 46.7% 20% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Trincomalee

$83 16.3% 60.7% $128

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Trincomalee

$106 20.8% 37.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Trincomalee

$71 14% 57.9% $98

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Trincomalee

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Trincomalee

$8.9 * 1.8% 84.5% $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 Trincomalee. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $238 – making Trincomalee the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Trincomalee

🕒 Local time

19:13 7:13 PM

05:43 5:43 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

99,100

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.84 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,164 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,523 COP (10,000 COP = 2.84 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 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

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Between locations

Medellin Trincomalee 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Trincomalee

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 Trincomalee: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 222%, 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 $763 in Trincomalee. 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 Trincomalee. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trincomalee, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Trincomalee 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 $509 in Trincomalee to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.