Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boracay and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $915 in Boracay, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$915

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $915 in Boracay versus $804 in Colombo.

Boracay $915
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,349 in Boracay versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Boracay $1,349
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,783 in Boracay versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Boracay $1,783
Colombo $1,675

Living in Boracay is roughly 14% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boracay 33% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.31 ₱340

$3.74 LKR 1,242

41.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ₱1,195

$24.72 LKR 8,214

-24.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 ₱382

$7.60 LKR 2,527

-21.45%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ₱148

$2.45 LKR 814

-5.31%

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

$0.69 ₱44.18

$0.68 LKR 226

1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₱14.03

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₱76.2

$2.22 LKR 739

-46.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱129

$3.07 LKR 1,019

-34.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.93 ₱187

$1.57 LKR 520

86.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ₱81.5

$0.54 LKR 178

135.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₱57.5

$0.80 LKR 266

12.50%

Eggs

$1.89 ₱121

$1.71 LKR 567

10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.04 ₱322

$13.92 LKR 4,625

-63.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 ₱249

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-18.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.49 ₱415

$7.46 LKR 2,480

-13.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ₱147

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-64.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₱96.1

$0.85 LKR 283

76.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ₱130

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-52.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱82.3

$1.33 LKR 443

-3.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$1.00 LKR 334

119.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 ₱137

$0.81 LKR 270

164.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.7

$0.93 LKR 308

-1.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.48

$0.45 LKR 151

31.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.29 ₱147

$10.33 LKR 3,434

-77.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.61 ₱487

$12.87 LKR 4,277

-40.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.3

$1.93 LKR 642

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱126

$3.00 LKR 999

-34.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.06

$0.18 LKR 59.3

22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.67 ₱683

$5.96 LKR 1,982

79.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱42.45

$0.40 LKR 134

65.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.24

$0.35 LKR 116

-31.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 ₱113

$0.94 LKR 312

87.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ₱70.4

$1.32 LKR 438

-16.67%

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

$22.9K ₱1.5M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-47.26%

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

$20.3K ₱1.3M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-48.89%

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

$109 ₱6,945

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

84.42%

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

$15.54 ₱994

$4.20 LKR 1,396

270.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.36 ₱2,135

$20.61 LKR 6,851

61.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.49 ₱2,143

$19.88 LKR 6,609

68.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.90 ₱314

$5.81 LKR 1,932

-15.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.21 ₱334

$4.42 LKR 1,468

17.87%

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

$141 ₱8,997

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

268.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,871 ₱503.6K

$1,214 LKR 403.4K

548.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.63 ₱1,768

$17.77 LKR 5,905

55.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.45 ₱1,181

$16.62 LKR 5,523

11.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 ₱4,304

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

-13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.7 ₱3,309

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₱15.9K

$586 LKR 194.7K

-57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ₱21.6K

$275 LKR 91.4K

22.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₱31.3K

$1,677 LKR 557.4K

-70.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₱37.7K

$490 LKR 162.9K

20.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,586 ₱165.4K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-28.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,129 ₱72.2K

$1,158 LKR 384.9K

-2.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$230 ₱14.7K

$259 LKR 86.0K

-11.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.92

12.69

-45.47%

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

Last update for Boracay: 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

Boracay

$337 36.8%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 18.4% $62

Groceries & Markets

Boracay

$187 20.5%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 25.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boracay

$157 17.2%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 46.9% $74

Eating Out

Boracay

$102 11.1%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 1.3% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Boracay

$74 8.1%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 6.5% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Boracay

$44 4.8%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 34.6% $15

Getting Around

Boracay

$13 1.5%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 34.1% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $248 in Boracay and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colombo pays 12% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Boracay vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $235 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Boracay

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

14:56 2:56 PM

2 h 30 min behind Boracay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,296

753,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.56 USD

100 PHP = 1.4 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.56 USD). 1 EUR = 71.22 PHP (100 PHP = 1.4 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Boracay Colombo 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Boracay
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

Boracay vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boracay and Colombo differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($915 vs $804 including rent). Colombo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Boracay. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $248 in Boracay versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Boracay pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.