Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $772 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $380 less a year. The total is higher in Colombo despite lower rent and utilities.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$772

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $772 in Bentota versus $804 in Colombo.

Bentota $772
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $888 in Bentota versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Bentota $888
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,005 in Bentota versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Bentota $1,005
Colombo $1,675

Living in Bentota costs roughly 4% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bentota 43% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.80 LKR 1,264

$3.74 LKR 1,243

1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.01 LKR 3,992

$24.72 LKR 8,217

-51.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 LKR 2,500

$7.60 LKR 2,528

-1.05%

Cappuccino

$2.39 LKR 795

$2.45 LKR 814

-2.45%

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

$0.72 LKR 241

$0.68 LKR 226

5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.27 LKR 89.8

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 744

$2.22 LKR 739

0.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 996

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-2.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.57 LKR 520

3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$0.54 LKR 178

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$0.80 LKR 266

1.25%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 565

$1.71 LKR 568

-0.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 LKR 4,559

$13.92 LKR 4,626

-1.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 LKR 1,100

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-30.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.40 LKR 1,464

$7.46 LKR 2,480

-41.02%

Apples (1kg)

$6.71 LKR 2,229

$6.40 LKR 2,126

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 247

$0.85 LKR 283

-12.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,421

$4.26 LKR 1,416

0.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 294

$1.33 LKR 443

-33.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.00 LKR 334

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 262

$0.81 LKR 270

-2.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 309

$0.93 LKR 308

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 153

$0.45 LKR 151

2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 LKR 3,383

$10.33 LKR 3,435

-1.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,296

$12.87 LKR 4,279

0.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 637

$1.93 LKR 642

-0.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,015

$3.00 LKR 999

1.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.3

$0.18 LKR 59.3

5.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.40 LKR 134

-7.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 104

$0.35 LKR 116

-11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 313

$0.94 LKR 312

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 440

$1.32 LKR 438

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

1.71%

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

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

3.76%

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

$57.9 LKR 19.3K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

-1.58%

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

$2.30 LKR 764

$4.20 LKR 1,397

-45.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.30 LKR 3,093

$20.61 LKR 6,853

-54.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$4.42 LKR 1,469

5.20%

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

$38.46 LKR 12.8K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

0.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,196 LKR 397.5K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

-1.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.92 LKR 5,959

$17.77 LKR 5,907

0.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.78 LKR 5,577

$16.62 LKR 5,525

0.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.02 LKR 14.0K

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

-0.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 LKR 184.0K

$586 LKR 194.7K

-5.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 LKR 99.8K

$275 LKR 91.4K

9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Bentota: October 24, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentota

$300 38.9%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 8.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Bentota

$217 28.2%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 8.1% $18

Eating Out

Bentota

$103 13.3%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 0.3% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Bentota

$70 9.1%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 0.8% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentota

$70 9%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 20.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bentota

$9.3 * 1.2%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 209% $19

Getting Around

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 230% $6.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $553 in Bentota and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Bentota vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $235 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bentota

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

Same time as Bentota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,000

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bentota Colombo 60 km

From you

Bentota
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

Bentota vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,158 in Bentota and $1,206 in Colombo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $553 in Bentota versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $772 per month in Bentota versus $804 in Colombo – Bentota is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Bentota gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.