Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negombo and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $396 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
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Negombo Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$396

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Negombo and in Medellin

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Negombo and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $396 per month in Negombo vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Negombo $396
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $639 per month in Negombo vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Negombo $639
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $883 per month in Negombo vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Negombo $883
Medellin $3,186

Negombo is about 76% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Negombo sits 71% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,245

$8.09 COP 26.1K

-53.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.39 LKR 5,451

$47.05 COP 151.9K

-65.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 LKR 2,462

$9.50 COP 30.7K

-22.11%

Cappuccino

$1.28 LKR 427

$3.01 COP 9,735

-57.48%

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

$0.73 LKR 242

$1.80 COP 5,809

-59.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.0

$1.41 COP 4,561

-80.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 LKR 736

$3.18 COP 10.3K

-30.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,012

$5.75 COP 18.6K

-47.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 520

$1.51 COP 4,876

3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 187

$2.38 COP 7,678

-76.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 251

$1.77 COP 5,720

-57.63%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 543

$2.89 COP 9,333

-43.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 LKR 4,494

$10.19 COP 32.9K

32.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 LKR 1,442

$9.87 COP 31.9K

-56.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 LKR 2,026

$13.99 COP 45.2K

-56.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 LKR 590

$3.97 COP 12.8K

-55.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 LKR 224

$1.55 COP 5,012

-56.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 LKR 766

$2.18 COP 7,048

5.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 LKR 385

$2.18 COP 7,051

-46.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 264

$1.96 COP 6,337

-59.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.59 COP 5,132

-47.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 316

$1.15 COP 3,699

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$1.24 COP 4,014

-62.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.19 LKR 3,390

$3.96 COP 12.8K

157.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.06 LKR 4,343

$13.68 COP 44.2K

-4.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 650

$1.66 COP 5,359

17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 LKR 972

$2.26 COP 7,291

29.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 104

$1.17 COP 3,771

-73.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 249.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.27 COP 4,094

-70.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$2.05 COP 6,612

-82.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 298

$8.55 COP 27.6K

-89.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.35 COP 4,349

-24.44%

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

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

$34.1K COP 110.0M

27.13%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$34.7K COP 111.9M

14.95%

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

$25.79 LKR 8,576

$170 COP 547.8K

-84.80%

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

$4.22 LKR 1,403

$13.55 COP 43.8K

-68.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.43 LKR 6,795

$28.07 COP 90.6K

-27.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.34 LKR 5,100

$43.70 COP 141.1K

-64.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.00 LKR 2,994

$17.19 COP 55.5K

-47.64%

Cinema Ticket

$2.46 LKR 817

$6.91 COP 22.3K

-64.40%

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

$37.18 LKR 12.4K

$797 COP 2.6M

-95.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$458 LKR 152.5K

$9,112 COP 29.4M

-94.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.13 LKR 3,037

$84.7 COP 273.5K

-89.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.32 LKR 5,427

$58.0 COP 187.2K

-71.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.70 LKR 11.9K

$135 COP 435.8K

-73.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.49 LKR 8,143

$97.9 COP 316.0K

-74.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$178 LKR 59.1K

$657 COP 2.1M

-72.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

10.94

16.00%

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

Last update for Negombo: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Negombo

$194 49.1%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 52.9% $103

Eating Out

Negombo

$89 22.4%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 91.2% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negombo

$50 12.8%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 319% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Negombo

$39 9.7%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 339% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Negombo

$20 5.1%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 184% $37

Getting Around

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.9%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 2693% $90

Accommodation & Living

Negombo

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Medellin are about 3.7 times higher, 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 $16 in Negombo versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $297 – making Negombo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Negombo

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

10 h 30 min behind Negombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,449

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3,229 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,605 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Negombo Medellin 16,910 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Negombo
Medellin

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

Negombo vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 314%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $593 per month in Negombo and $2,459 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Negombo and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Negombo, where all-in costs run around $396, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Negombo 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 $396 in Negombo to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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