Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trincomalee and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Trincomalee: $509 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Trincomalee
Learn more

Trincomalee Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Trincomalee

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $509 per month in Trincomalee vs $1,639 in Medellin, rent included.

Trincomalee $509
Medellin $1,639

A couple spends around $826 per month in Trincomalee vs $2,413 in Medellin, rent included.

Trincomalee $826
Medellin $2,413

A family of three spends $1,143 per month in Trincomalee vs $3,186 in Medellin, rent included.

Trincomalee $1,143
Medellin $3,186

Trincomalee is about 69% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Trincomalee sits 63% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 LKR 1,300

$8.09 COP 25.4K

-51.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.21 LKR 8,380

$47.05 COP 148.0K

-46.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 LKR 2,575

$9.50 COP 29.9K

-18.42%

Cappuccino

$2.53 LKR 840

$3.01 COP 9,485

-15.95%

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

$0.73 LKR 242

$1.80 COP 5,660

-59.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.3

$1.41 COP 4,443

-82.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 LKR 749

$3.18 COP 9,990

-29.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 992

$5.75 COP 18.1K

-48.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 538

$1.51 COP 4,751

7.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$2.38 COP 7,480

-78.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 247

$1.77 COP 5,573

-58.19%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 545

$2.89 COP 9,093

-43.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 LKR 4,670

$10.19 COP 32.1K

37.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 LKR 1,655

$9.87 COP 31.1K

-49.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.30 LKR 2,425

$13.99 COP 44.0K

-47.82%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,201

$3.97 COP 12.5K

66.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 289

$1.55 COP 4,883

-43.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,481

$2.18 COP 6,867

104.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 441

$2.18 COP 6,870

-38.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 344

$1.96 COP 6,174

-47.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$1.59 COP 5,000

-52.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 315

$1.15 COP 3,604

-17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$1.24 COP 3,911

-66.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 LKR 3,362

$3.96 COP 12.5K

155.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 LKR 4,354

$13.68 COP 43.0K

-4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 631

$1.66 COP 5,221

14.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 965

$2.26 COP 7,103

28.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$1.27 COP 3,989

-68.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$2.05 COP 6,442

-82.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 293

$8.55 COP 26.9K

-89.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 446

$1.35 COP 4,237

-0.74%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$34.1K COP 107.2M

29.11%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$34.7K COP 109.1M

15.64%

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

$58.2 LKR 19.3K

$170 COP 533.7K

-65.71%

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

$4.17 LKR 1,388

$13.55 COP 42.6K

-69.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.63 LKR 6,858

$28.07 COP 88.3K

-26.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 LKR 1,479

$6.91 COP 21.7K

-35.60%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$797 COP 2.5M

-95.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,193 LKR 396.6K

$9,112 COP 28.7M

-86.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.98 LKR 5,976

$84.7 COP 266.5K

-78.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.87 LKR 5,608

$58.0 COP 182.3K

-70.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 LKR 26.8K

$135 COP 424.6K

-40.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.56 LKR 14.1K

$97.9 COP 307.9K

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

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 Trincomalee: 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

Trincomalee

$238 46.7%

Medellin

$297 18.1% 25% $59

Eating Out

Trincomalee

$106 20.8%

Medellin

$170 10.4% 60.1% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trincomalee

$83 16.3%

Medellin

$211 12.9% 155% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Trincomalee

$71 14%

Medellin

$169 10.3% 138% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Trincomalee

$8.9 * 1.8%

Medellin

$58 3.5% 546% $49

Getting Around

Trincomalee

$2.1 * 0.4%

Medellin

$94 5.7% 4272% $91

Accommodation & Living

Trincomalee

- * 0%

Medellin

$642 39.1%

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 Trincomalee versus $47 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $297 – making Trincomalee the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Trincomalee

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

18:12 6:12 PM

10 h 30 min behind Trincomalee

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,100

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trincomalee Medellin 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Trincomalee
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

Trincomalee vs Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Medellin is pricier by about 222%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $763 per month in Trincomalee 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 $25 in Trincomalee and $47 in Medellin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Medellin, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trincomalee, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Medellin at $1,639. In Trincomalee 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 $509 in Trincomalee to $1,639 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.