Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $707 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index

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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$707

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $707 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $707
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,096
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,485 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,485
Medellin $3,199

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is about 57% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte sits 48% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 LKR 1,271

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-53.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.15 LKR 8,331

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-46.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 LKR 2,533

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-17.21%

Cappuccino

$2.57 LKR 852

$3.05 COP 9,676

-15.74%

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

$0.73 LKR 241

$1.80 COP 5,707

-59.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 81.8

$1.38 COP 4,382

-81.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 735

$3.24 COP 10.3K

-31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 989

$5.56 COP 17.6K

-46.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 LKR 421

$1.50 COP 4,760

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 LKR 191

$2.37 COP 7,508

-75.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 246

$1.70 COP 5,377

-56.47%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 568

$2.96 COP 9,379

-41.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 LKR 4,576

$10.22 COP 32.4K

35.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 LKR 1,462

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-54.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.29 LKR 1,754

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-61.94%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 LKR 2,058

$4.13 COP 13.1K

50.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 279

$1.53 COP 4,839

-45.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 LKR 1,445

$2.22 COP 7,052

96.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 LKR 397

$2.27 COP 7,194

-47.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.99 COP 6,311

-56.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 270

$1.67 COP 5,285

-50.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$1.18 COP 3,742

-25.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 151

$1.24 COP 3,919

-62.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.15 LKR 3,031

$3.87 COP 12.3K

136.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 LKR 4,216

$13.78 COP 43.7K

-7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 645

$1.66 COP 5,256

17.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LKR 1,001

$2.40 COP 7,615

25.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 LKR 103

$1.28 COP 4,044

-75.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.15 COP 6,803

-82.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

$8.37 COP 26.5K

-89.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 381

$1.35 COP 4,288

-14.81%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

$34.8K COP 110.2M

25.11%

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

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

$34.7K COP 110.0M

18.16%

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

$45.62 LKR 15.1K

$167 COP 528.4K

-72.63%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,445

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-67.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.16 LKR 4,028

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-58.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.89 LKR 4,933

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-66.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.08 LKR 1,020

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-55.81%

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

$37.61 LKR 12.5K

$790 COP 2.5M

-95.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$896 LKR 296.9K

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-90.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.40 LKR 6,093

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-79.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.89 LKR 5,593

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-70.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 LKR 26.3K

$139 COP 440.7K

-42.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.35 LKR 13.7K

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-58.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 LKR 101.7K

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-70.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 LKR 74.1K

$620 COP 2.0M

-63.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 LKR 147.4K

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-76.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 LKR 126.4K

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-62.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$692 LKR 229.3K

$3,988 COP 12.6M

-82.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 LKR 175.9K

$1,702 COP 5.4M

-68.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$298 LKR 98.8K

$663 COP 2.1M

-55.05%

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 19, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$224 31.7%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 177% $396

Groceries & Markets

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.4%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 34.3% $76

Eating Out

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$105 14.9%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 62% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$70 9.9%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 146% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$62 8.8%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 237% $147

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 180% $38

Getting Around

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2.2 * 0.3%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 4227% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 122% 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 $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $298 – making Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

03:11 3:11 AM

10 h 30 min behind Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,826 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Medellin 16,930 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 130%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,060 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $2,437 in Medellin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $47.00 in Medellin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte – 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. 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.