Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Colombo

🙂 Solo nomad: Cha-am is 8% cheaper than Colombo without rent, and 29.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cha-am is 3.3% cheaper than Colombo without rent, and 17.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.12 ฿98.1
$3.98 LKR 1,229
-21.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$21.19 ฿666
$25.32 LKR 7,825
-16.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.69 ฿273
$8.48 LKR 2,621
2.48%
Cappuccino
$2.10 ฿66.1
$2.73 LKR 843
-23.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿20.27
$0.74 LKR 228
-13.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.45 ฿14.00
$0.37 LKR 115
21.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 ฿76.2
$2.41 LKR 744
0.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.60 ฿113
$3.31 LKR 1,023
8.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿54.7
$1.70 LKR 525
2.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.36 ฿42.82
$0.56 LKR 174
142.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿41.72
$0.83 LKR 256
60.24%
Eggs
$1.92 ฿60.4
$2.20 LKR 679
-12.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.44 ฿422
$14.25 LKR 4,404
-5.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿107
$4.70 LKR 1,454
-27.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.81 ฿340
$7.87 LKR 2,431
37.36%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 ฿95.9
$7.49 LKR 2,315
-59.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 ฿41.93
$1.11 LKR 344
19.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 ฿57.2
$5.85 LKR 1,809
-68.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿47.14
$1.22 LKR 376
22.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 ฿51.1
$1.10 LKR 339
47.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.48
$1.43 LKR 442
-14.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 ฿39.20
$1.14 LKR 354
9.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿14.36
$0.60 LKR 187
-23.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.60 ฿145
$10.23 LKR 3,161
-55.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.98 ฿502
$12.67 LKR 3,916
26.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 ฿56.9
$2.09 LKR 646
-13.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.48 ฿109
$2.94 LKR 909
18.37%
🚌 Getting Around
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 ฿28.24
$0.19 LKR 59.0
373.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$4.94 LKR 1,525
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.06 ฿33.22
$0.41 LKR 127
158.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 ฿22.54
$0.35 LKR 109
105.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.36 ฿106
$0.57 LKR 176
489.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 ฿40.69
$1.25 LKR 386
3.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K ฿627.1K
$26.6K LKR 8.2M
-25.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.3K ฿668.8K
$35.4K LKR 10.9M
-39.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$73.4 ฿2,308
$59.5 LKR 18.4K
23.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.19 ฿415
$4.46 LKR 1,378
195.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.32 ฿576
$15.16 LKR 4,685
20.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.44 ฿768
$14.28 LKR 4,412
71.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.32 ฿387
$7.05 LKR 2,179
74.75%
Cinema Ticket
$7.74 ฿243
$3.38 LKR 1,044
128.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$136 ฿4,271
$36.49 LKR 11.3K
272.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,160 ฿288.0K
$444 LKR 137.3K
1961.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$29.47 ฿926
$27.90 LKR 8,623
5.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.75 ฿621
$19.17 LKR 5,926
3.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$62.1 ฿1,953
$68.8 LKR 21.3K
-9.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$43.85 ฿1,379
$38.47 LKR 11.9K
13.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 ฿14.3K
$372 LKR 115.0K
22.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 ฿11.7K
$177 LKR 54.6K
110.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$762 ฿24.0K
$969 LKR 299.5K
-21.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$679 ฿21.4K
$360 LKR 111.3K
88.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,318 ฿72.9K
$3,705 LKR 1.1M
-37.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,683 ฿52.9K
$1,248 LKR 385.8K
34.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cha-am
Colombo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$380 ฿11.9K
$241 LKR 74.4K
57.86%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.45
16.45
-66.87%

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

Last update for Cha-am: March 2, 2026

Last update for Colombo: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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