Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Vavuniya

For one person, living is cheaper in Vavuniya: $511 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 Vavuniya
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Vavuniya Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Vavuniya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Vavuniya

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $511 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Vavuniya $511

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $805 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Vavuniya $805

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,099 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Vavuniya $1,099

Medellin costs about 231% more than Vavuniya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.87 LKR 1,286

115.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$14.87 LKR 4,945

212.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.54 LKR 2,509

25.60%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.53 LKR 841

23.72%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.40 LKR 132

342.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.25 LKR 82.5

468.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.18 LKR 725

44.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$2.97 LKR 987

91.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.64 LKR 546

-6.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.57 LKR 189

301.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.77 LKR 255

151.95%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.63 LKR 543

88.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$15.50 LKR 5,156

-35.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$5.14 LKR 1,710

103.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.39 LKR 2,460

88.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.66 LKR 2,214

-39.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.88 LKR 293

73.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-50.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.31 LKR 436

74.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.08 LKR 358

95.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.76 LKR 254

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$1.24 LKR 413

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 COP 5,096

$0.43 LKR 143

267.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.91 COP 12.6K

$10.16 LKR 3,378

-61.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$13.31 LKR 4,427

5.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.93 LKR 643

-8.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.85 LKR 949

-4.91%

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

$0.41 LKR 135

341.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.31 LKR 103

587.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$0.88 LKR 294

823.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.31 LKR 436

-2.29%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

-20.55%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-25.20%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

215.24%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.10 LKR 1,364

238.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.92 LKR 6,957

46.94%

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

$4.56 LKR 1,516

63.82%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$39.87 LKR 13.3K

1881.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

-29.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$18.42 LKR 6,127

368.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$17.75 LKR 5,904

233.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

78.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$41.50 LKR 13.8K

138.10%

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 Vavuniya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Vavuniya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Vavuniya

$245 48% 20.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Vavuniya

$81 15.9% 63.4% $141

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Vavuniya

$103 20.2% 40.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Vavuniya

$70 13.7% 59.5% $102

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Vavuniya

$2 * 0.4% 97.9% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Vavuniya

$9.1 * 1.8% 84% $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 $15 in Vavuniya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $245 – making Vavuniya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Vavuniya

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

10:38 10:38 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

99,600

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.75 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 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 = 3,631 COP (10,000 COP = 2.75 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 = 2.67 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

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Between locations

Medellin Vavuniya 16,880 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Vavuniya

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 Vavuniya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 231%, 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 $766 in Vavuniya. 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 $15 in Vavuniya. 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Vavuniya, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Vavuniya 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 $511 in Vavuniya to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.