Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Wattala

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Medellin vs $574 in Wattala, rent included.

Medellin $1,692
Wattala $574

A couple spends around $2,471 per month in Medellin vs $951 in Wattala, rent included.

Medellin $2,471
Wattala $951

A family of three spends $3,249 per month in Medellin vs $1,328 in Wattala, rent included.

Medellin $3,249
Wattala $1,328

Medellin costs about 195% more than Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Medellin sits 25% above the global median, while Wattala is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 COP 26.9K

$3.83 LKR 1,274

117.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.53 COP 150.1K

$24.35 LKR 8,098

91.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 COP 30.5K

$7.64 LKR 2,540

23.95%

Cappuccino

$3.13 COP 10.1K

$2.48 LKR 824

26.21%

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

$1.77 COP 5,696

$0.68 LKR 227

160.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 COP 4,594

$0.27 LKR 89.9

425.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.15 COP 10.2K

$2.14 LKR 712

47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 COP 18.4K

$3.04 LKR 1,011

87.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 COP 4,943

$1.59 LKR 528

-3.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.29 COP 7,389

$0.54 LKR 178

324.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 COP 6,273

$0.77 LKR 256

151.95%

Eggs

$3.07 COP 9,889

$1.64 LKR 545

87.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.99 COP 32.2K

$14.00 LKR 4,655

-28.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 COP 33.7K

$4.75 LKR 1,582

120.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.96 COP 45.0K

$7.34 LKR 2,440

90.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 COP 13.1K

$6.41 LKR 2,133

-36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,929

$0.80 LKR 265

91.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 COP 6,786

$4.37 LKR 1,452

-51.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 COP 7,397

$1.27 LKR 422

80.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 COP 6,803

$1.05 LKR 348

100.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 COP 5,512

$0.77 LKR 256

122.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 COP 3,774

$0.95 LKR 315

23.16%

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

$10.26 LKR 3,411

-61.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 COP 45.3K

$12.73 LKR 4,236

10.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 COP 5,682

$1.89 LKR 630

-6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 COP 8,746

$2.90 LKR 965

-6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 COP 3,805

$0.20 LKR 66.4

490.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 COP 246.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 COP 5,827

$0.41 LKR 136

341.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.13 COP 6,867

$0.34 LKR 113

526.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 COP 26.2K

$0.89 LKR 295

813.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 COP 4,113

$1.13 LKR 376

13.27%

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

$34.4K COP 111.1M

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

-20.34%

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

$34.1K COP 110.1M

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

-15.58%

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

$178 COP 573.2K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

201.54%

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

$13.89 COP 44.8K

$4.18 LKR 1,391

232.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 COP 99.1K

$20.89 LKR 6,949

47.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

$13.62 LKR 4,530

207.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

$4.57 LKR 1,519

267.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 COP 24.1K

$2.93 LKR 975

154.95%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

1992.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K COP 39.7M

$1,202 LKR 399.7K

923.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.3 COP 278.4K

$18.04 LKR 5,999

378.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 COP 191.1K

$16.50 LKR 5,490

259.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 COP 446.2K

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

78.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.8 COP 318.7K

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

134.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 COP 4.3M

$104 LKR 34.6K

1188.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 COP 2.2M

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

992.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,976 COP 6.4M

$241 LKR 80.2K

719.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 COP 3.3M

$178 LKR 59.1K

481.10%

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

12.69

-13.79%

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

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$667 39.4%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 90.8% $606

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$307 18.2%

Wattala

$234 40.7% 24% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$222 13.1%

Wattala

$84 14.6% 62.2% $138

Eating Out

Medellin

$173 10.2%

Wattala

$104 18.1% 39.8% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$172 10.2%

Wattala

$69 12.1% 59.8% $103

Getting Around

Medellin

$93 5.5%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 96.9% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$57 3.4%

Wattala

$19 3.4% 65.8% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Medellin versus $104 in Wattala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $24 in Wattala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $234 – making Wattala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

12:43 12:43 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

30,200

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Wattala 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 195%, 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 $861 in Wattala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wattala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $104 there versus $1,341 in Medellin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin and $24 in Wattala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Wattala, where all-in costs run around $574, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Wattala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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