Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Alexandria, Romania

Name: Alexandria
Address: Alexandria, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $866 in Alexandria, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Alexandria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $866 in Alexandria.

Colombo $804
Alexandria $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,322 in Alexandria.

Colombo $1,240
Alexandria $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,778 in Alexandria.

Colombo $1,675
Alexandria $1,778

Living in Colombo costs roughly 7% less than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Alexandria 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$8.43 RON 40.34

-55.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,219

$29.79 RON 143

-17.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,529

$7.52 RON 35.98

1.06%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$1.69 RON 8.10

44.97%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.75 RON 8.39

-61.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$1.43 RON 6.86

-81.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$2.07 RON 9.90

7.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$2.47 RON 11.81

24.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.43 RON 6.85

9.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.87 RON 4.16

-37.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.13 RON 5.41

-29.20%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$2.11 RON 10.09

-18.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,628

$5.07 RON 24.27

174.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,591

$4.41 RON 21.08

8.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$7.92 RON 37.91

-5.81%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,127

$0.91 RON 4.33

603.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 284

$1.18 RON 5.65

-27.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$0.97 RON 4.65

339.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$0.92 RON 4.39

44.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.65 RON 3.09

53.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.62 RON 2.95

30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.75 RON 3.60

24.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.83 RON 3.95

-45.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,436

$5.29 RON 25.30

95.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,280

$5.21 RON 24.92

147.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$0.95 RON 4.56

103.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$1.07 RON 5.10

180.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.4

$0.65 RON 3.13

-72.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,983

$41.63 RON 199

-85.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.43 RON 2.06

-6.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.40 RON 1.91

-12.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$5.33 RON 25.48

-82.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.76 RON 8.43

-25.00%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$16.5K RON 78.9K

163.10%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$22.4K RON 107.2K

77.14%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$116 RON 554

-49.19%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$5.26 RON 25.18

-20.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,855

$7.55 RON 36.11

172.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,613

$57.9 RON 277

-65.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,933

$24.58 RON 118

-76.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$6.09 RON 29.15

-27.42%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$318 RON 1,521

-88.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

$6,749 RON 32.3K

-82.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,909

$52.0 RON 249

-65.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,527

$22.29 RON 107

-25.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$62.0 RON 297

25.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$63.6 RON 304

-33.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.8K

$309 RON 1,476

89.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.5K

$242 RON 1,156

13.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

$573 RON 2,742

192.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$411 RON 1,969

19.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$1,269 RON 6,071

186.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$793 RON 3,796

45.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$846 RON 4,047

-69.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.73

88.56%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Alexandria

$242 27.9% 12.2% $33

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Alexandria

$151 17.4% 36% $85

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Alexandria

$138 16% 34.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Alexandria

$129 14.9% 53.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Alexandria

$90 10.4% 29.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Alexandria

$70 8.1% 144% $41

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Alexandria

$47 5.4% 429% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $309 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $30 in Alexandria. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $151, with Alexandria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

04:38 4:38 AM

3 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

45,434

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Colombo Alexandria 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Alexandria

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

Colombo vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Alexandria. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Colombo. 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: $586 in Colombo versus $309 in Alexandria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $804 per month in Colombo versus $866 in Alexandria – Colombo is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Colombo runs roughly 86% less than in Alexandria. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Alexandria on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.