Cost of Living in Colombo
Summary of cost of living in Colombo, Sri Lanka:
- A family of four estimated monthly costs are 2,007.5$ (584,715.3Rs) without rent (using our estimator).
- A single person estimated monthly costs are 558.5$ (162,676.9Rs) without rent.
- Colombo is 46.7% less expensive than Columbus (without rent, see our cost of living index).
- Rent in Colombo is, on average, 76.1% lower than in Columbus.
Restaurants |  Edit |
Range |
|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 3.43 $ | |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 25.75 $ | |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 7.55 $ | |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 2.06 $ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 3.09 $ | |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 2.62 $ | |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 0.75 $ | |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) | 0.39 $ | |
Markets | Edit |
|
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 6.60 $ | |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 0.52 $ | |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) | 0.38 $ | |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.24 $ | |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) | 6.36 $ | |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 2.41 $ | |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 3.75 $ | |
| Apples (1 lb) | 3.31 $ | |
| Banana (1 lb) | 0.52 $ | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | 2.67 $ | |
| Tomato (1 lb) | 0.54 $ | |
| Potato (1 lb) | 0.51 $ | |
| Onion (1 lb) | 0.55 $ | |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 1.18 $ | |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 0.58 $ | |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 12.02 $ | |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 1.94 $ | |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 2.67 $ | |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 9.44 $ | |
Transportation | Edit |
|
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 0.17 $ | |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 6.87 $ | |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 0.41 $ | |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 0.55 $ | |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 0.60 $ | |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | 4.89 $ | |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 35,671.71 $ | |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 38,910.43 $ | |
Utilities (Monthly) | Edit |
|
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 57.94 $ | |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 5.15 $ | |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 16.57 $ | |
Sports And Leisure | Edit |
|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 14.03 $ | |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 8.15 $ | |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 3.43 $ | |
Childcare | Edit |
|
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 28.90 $ | |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 593.10 $ | |
Clothing And Shoes | Edit |
|
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 30.00 $ | |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 22.55 $ | |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 69.49 $ | |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 37.90 $ | |
Rent Per Month | Edit |
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 300.70 $ | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 181.96 $ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 973.91 $ | |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 414.22 $ | |
Buy Apartment Price | Edit |
|
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 196.23 $ | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 163.29 $ | |
Salaries And Financing | Edit |
|
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 230.46 $ | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 18.50 |
Prices in Colombo
This city had 1657 entries in the past 12 months by 197 different contributors.
Last update: November 2024
Last update: November 2024
Sources and References
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Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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Nearby cities:| Cost of Living in Kolonnawa | 4.73 miles |
| Cost of Living in Battaramulla | 6.88 miles |
| Cost of Living in Kotikawatta | 6.94 miles |
| Cost of Living in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | 7.52 miles |
| Cost of Living in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte | 7.60 miles |
| Cost of Living in Kelaniya | 8.11 miles |
| Cost of Living in Wattala | 8.30 miles |
| Cost of Living in Kiribathgoda | 8.99 miles |
| Cost of Living in Maharagama | 9.88 miles |
| Cost of Living in Kadawatha | 11.37 miles |
This page in other languages:
 DeutschLebenshaltungskosten in Colombo
|
 PortuguêsCusto de Vida em Colombo
|
 ItalianoCosto della Vita a Colombo
|
 FrançaisCoût de la Vie à Colombo
|
 EspañolCosto de Vida en Colombo
|
Sri Lanka people are very friendly. They are caring. The island has a tourist mindset, so people welcome you everywhere you go.
Price of food from the grocery stores are tricky. If you go to vendors it is 50% less than the big credit card available grocery stores.
Rent is variable. If you are demanding luxury western standards you can pay any price. But if you want 3 bedroom bath out of the City area expect to pay 50 to 150k a month.
Food expense at is max at 9 dollars in regular place for 2 people. If you want to go to five star restaurants expect to pay about 50% less than Applebee prices in the US.
Transport by bus and train are very cheap compared to US prices.
If you want car, the cost depends on type of car and distance. Daily car expenses can be 50 US dollars for 100 km with driver.
Clothing, other expenses are 80% less than Western Europe or the United States.
Quality of life is much better.
Now the bad
Cost of healthcare is about the same as the west..
Public health is socialism based so it is heavily inefficient and underfunded.
Private hospitals are the best for minor and moderate procedure. But for advanced health ICUs gov hospitals are better.
Regular physicians are pretty good. They are very busy.
Medicine is cheaper than the US or Europe. But you need to know what you are getting. Generic meds have different quality.
BTW the country has wonderful women and men who are eligible bachelors. You can have good company.
Everyone we met were very friendly. Riding the tut tut was exhilerating to say the least. I am not rich and neither is my firend and the cost of that entire month was so cheap. It included a chauffeur driven car. Every hotel we stayed in had accommodations for the chauffeur. Outside of one train trip to the hill stations and some trips in tut tut we used the chauffeur driven for everything else. in total for one month the cost was $800.00. Wish we had more time.