Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuwara Eliya and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $510 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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya and in Medellin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $510 per month in Nuwara Eliya vs $1,692 in Medellin, rent included.

Nuwara Eliya $510
Medellin $1,692

A couple spends around $827 per month in Nuwara Eliya vs $2,471 in Medellin, rent included.

Nuwara Eliya $827
Medellin $2,471

A family of three spends $1,145 per month in Nuwara Eliya vs $3,249 in Medellin, rent included.

Nuwara Eliya $1,145
Medellin $3,249

Nuwara Eliya is about 70% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.85 LKR 1,282

$8.34 COP 26.9K

-53.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.56 LKR 8,169

$46.53 COP 150.1K

-47.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 LKR 2,545

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-19.22%

Cappuccino

$2.43 LKR 809

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-22.36%

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

$0.37 LKR 122

$1.77 COP 5,696

-79.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.5

$1.42 COP 4,594

-82.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 728

$3.15 COP 10.2K

-30.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,008

$5.70 COP 18.4K

-46.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 520

$1.53 COP 4,943

1.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$2.29 COP 7,389

-76.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 247

$1.94 COP 6,273

-61.86%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 564

$3.07 COP 9,889

-44.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.44 LKR 5,136

$9.99 COP 32.2K

54.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 LKR 1,696

$10.45 COP 33.7K

-51.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 LKR 2,467

$13.96 COP 45.0K

-46.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 LKR 2,243

$4.05 COP 13.1K

66.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 279

$1.53 COP 4,929

-45.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 LKR 1,388

$2.10 COP 6,786

98.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 422

$2.29 COP 7,397

-44.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 LKR 360

$2.11 COP 6,803

-48.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 276

$1.71 COP 5,512

-51.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 403

$1.17 COP 3,774

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$1.58 COP 5,096

-71.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.43 LKR 3,471

$3.91 COP 12.6K

166.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 LKR 4,582

$14.04 COP 45.3K

-1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.76 COP 5,682

9.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 989

$2.71 COP 8,746

9.59%

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)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.81 COP 5,827

-79.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 103

$2.13 COP 6,867

-85.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 LKR 286

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-89.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 441

$1.28 COP 4,113

3.91%

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

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

$34.4K COP 111.1M

26.94%

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

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

$34.1K COP 110.1M

33.69%

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

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

$178 COP 573.2K

-68.27%

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

$4.13 LKR 1,375

$13.89 COP 44.8K

-70.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,854

$30.74 COP 99.1K

-32.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.94 COP 135.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 COP 54.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.50 LKR 1,496

$7.47 COP 24.1K

-39.76%

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

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

$790 COP 2.5M

-94.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

$12.3K COP 39.7M

41.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.00 LKR 5,988

$86.3 COP 278.4K

-79.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.55 LKR 5,838

$59.3 COP 191.1K

-70.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

$138 COP 446.2K

-42.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

$98.8 COP 318.7K

-58.42%

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 %)

12.5

10.94

14.26%

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

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 25.5% $63

Eating Out

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 68.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 174% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 145% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 532% $48

Getting Around

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 4768% $92

Accommodation & Living

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0%

Medellin

$667 39.4%

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 $25 in Nuwara Eliya versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $245 vs $307 – making Nuwara Eliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

04:36 4:36 AM

10 h 30 min behind Nuwara Eliya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,500

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.1 USD

10,000 COP = 2.76 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3,225 COP (10,000 COP = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 3,624 COP (10,000 COP = 2.76 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nuwara Eliya Medellin 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Nuwara Eliya
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

Nuwara Eliya vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 232%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Nuwara Eliya and $2,538 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 $25 in Nuwara Eliya and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nuwara Eliya, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Medellin at $1,692. In Nuwara Eliya 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 $510 in Nuwara Eliya to $1,692 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.