Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandarawela and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandarawela: $451 a month against $811 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
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Bandarawela Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$451

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandarawela and in Colombo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bandarawela and in Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $451 per month in Bandarawela vs $811 in Colombo, rent included.

Bandarawela $451
Colombo $811

A couple spends around $743 per month in Bandarawela vs $1,298 in Colombo, rent included.

Bandarawela $743
Colombo $1,298

A family of three spends $1,034 per month in Bandarawela vs $1,785 in Colombo, rent included.

Bandarawela $1,034
Colombo $1,785

Bandarawela is about 44% cheaper than Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bandarawela and Colombo are more affordable than the global median – Bandarawela 67% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.32 LKR 439

$3.92 LKR 1,304

-66.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.43 LKR 8,126

$24.58 LKR 8,177

-0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,527

$7.39 LKR 2,458

2.84%

Cappuccino

$1.49 LKR 494

$2.44 LKR 813

-38.93%

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

$0.61 LKR 204

$0.67 LKR 222

-8.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.5

$0.25 LKR 83.1

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 719

$2.14 LKR 710

0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 LKR 806

$3.03 LKR 1,007

-20.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.58 LKR 525

2.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.34 LKR 115

$0.53 LKR 176

-35.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 LKR 206

$0.81 LKR 270

-23.46%

Eggs

$1.05 LKR 350

$1.62 LKR 539

-35.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.54 LKR 5,170

$15.14 LKR 5,035

2.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 LKR 1,189

$5.12 LKR 1,701

-30.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 LKR 2,584

$7.66 LKR 2,547

1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,246

$6.62 LKR 2,201

1.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 LKR 190

$0.88 LKR 293

-35.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,379

$4.15 LKR 1,382

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 427

$1.28 LKR 425

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 286

$1.04 LKR 347

-17.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 LKR 183

$0.82 LKR 271

-32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 LKR 417

$1.21 LKR 404

3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.45 LKR 150

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.61 LKR 3,196

$10.04 LKR 3,338

-4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.75 LKR 4,573

$13.69 LKR 4,555

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 627

$1.93 LKR 643

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 966

$2.97 LKR 987

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.37 LKR 123

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 103

$0.34 LKR 112

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 291

$0.89 LKR 296

-2.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.32 LKR 440

3.79%

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

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

-0.54%

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

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

2.20%

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

$56.6 LKR 18.8K

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

-1.86%

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

$3.36 LKR 1,117

$4.28 LKR 1,424

-21.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

$20.66 LKR 6,872

-71.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$6.04 LKR 2,010

$20.37 LKR 6,775

-70.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 LKR 1,495

$6.14 LKR 2,043

-26.87%

Cinema Ticket

$2.37 LKR 787

$4.63 LKR 1,541

-48.81%

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

$40.60 LKR 13.5K

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

0.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.42 LKR 6,125

$18.12 LKR 6,027

1.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.70 LKR 5,887

$17.34 LKR 5,768

2.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 LKR 26.7K

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

3.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.25 LKR 14.1K

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

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

Last update for Bandarawela: October 31, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandarawela

$231 51.2%

Colombo

$244 30.1% 5.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bandarawela

$71 15.8%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 2.6% $1.9

Eating Out

Bandarawela

$70 15.6%

Colombo

$103 12.7% 46.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandarawela

$66 14.6%

Colombo

$83 10.2% 25.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Bandarawela

$11 2.4%

Colombo

$30 3.7% 175% $19

Getting Around

Bandarawela

$1.9 * 0.4%

Colombo

$11 1.3% 471% $9

Accommodation & Living

Bandarawela

- * 0%

Colombo

$271 33.4%

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 $24 in Bandarawela versus $25 in Colombo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $244 – making Bandarawela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

Same time as Bandarawela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bandarawela Colombo 130 km

From you

Bandarawela
Colombo

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

Bandarawela vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $451 in Bandarawela, $811 in Colombo – Bandarawela comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $677 per month in Bandarawela and $1,217 in Colombo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Bandarawela and $25 in Colombo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Colombo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $451 in Bandarawela and $811 in Colombo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Colombo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $451 in Bandarawela to $811 in Colombo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.