Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $471 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$471

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $471 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,589 in Medellin, rent included.

Ratnapura $471
Medellin $1,589

A couple spends around $766 per month in Ratnapura vs $2,364 in Medellin, rent included.

Ratnapura $766
Medellin $2,364

A family of three spends $1,062 per month in Ratnapura vs $3,139 in Medellin, rent included.

Ratnapura $1,062
Medellin $3,139

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

Ratnapura sits 65% below the global median, while Medellin is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 LKR 659

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-75.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.15 LKR 3,028

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-80.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.89 LKR 1,949

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-37.54%

Cappuccino

$2.17 LKR 718

$2.91 COP 9,277

-25.43%

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

$0.74 LKR 245

$1.75 COP 5,585

-57.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$1.32 COP 4,218

-64.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 639

$3.13 COP 9,969

-38.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 LKR 908

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-50.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 LKR 586

$1.41 COP 4,495

25.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 LKR 247

$2.44 COP 7,777

-69.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 LKR 208

$1.63 COP 5,191

-61.35%

Eggs

$1.11 LKR 368

$2.82 COP 8,990

-60.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.11 LKR 5,000

$9.69 COP 30.9K

55.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 LKR 2,086

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-32.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.80 LKR 5,228

$13.46 COP 42.9K

17.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 LKR 1,382

$4.00 COP 12.8K

4.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 LKR 237

$1.48 COP 4,719

-51.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 LKR 1,397

$2.12 COP 6,768

99.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$2.25 COP 7,178

-56.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 348

$1.91 COP 6,092

-45.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 LKR 451

$1.62 COP 5,160

-16.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 LKR 154

$1.15 COP 3,658

-59.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 145

$1.26 COP 4,021

-65.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.91 LKR 4,270

$3.82 COP 12.2K

237.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,259

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-1.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 691

$1.60 COP 5,083

30.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 LKR 931

$2.26 COP 7,188

24.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.17 COP 3,731

-68.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.0 COP 239.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.27 COP 4,056

-70.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 145

$2.05 COP 6,531

-78.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 COP 26.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.97 LKR 322

$1.27 COP 4,046

-23.62%

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

$19.5K LKR 6.4M

$26.8K COP 85.3M

-27.21%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-43.00%

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

$162 COP 516.9K

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

$2.08 LKR 688

$13.12 COP 41.8K

-84.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.36 LKR 2,434

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-73.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.19 LKR 3,041

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-79.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 COP 52.0K

Cinema Ticket

$2.46 LKR 815

$6.09 COP 19.4K

-59.61%

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

$764 COP 2.4M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,904 COP 28.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.68 LKR 3,535

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-87.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.54 LKR 2,495

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-86.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.6 LKR 28.3K

$132 COP 419.8K

-35.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.29 LKR 8,365

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-73.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.6 LKR 25.4K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-92.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.9 LKR 18.1K

$604 COP 1.9M

-90.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,802 COP 5.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$83.2 LKR 27.5K

$993 COP 3.2M

-91.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,921 COP 12.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,639 COP 5.2M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$167 LKR 55.3K

$626 COP 2.0M

-73.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Ratnapura: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 11.7% $30

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$80 16.7%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 109% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 187% $108

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 1002% $550

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 3%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 300% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.4 * 2%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 2055% $194

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4.1 * 0.9%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 2147% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $76.6 in Ratnapura versus $1,028 in Medellin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 274% higher in Medellin, 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 $9.00 in Ratnapura versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $288 – making Ratnapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

06:44 6:44 AM

10 h 30 min behind Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,571 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ratnapura Medellin 16,990 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Ratnapura
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

Ratnapura vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 238%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $706 per month in Ratnapura and $2,384 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Medellin, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Ratnapura and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $471, than in Medellin at $1,589. In Ratnapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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