Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $811 a month against $1,187 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Bali
Learn more

Bali Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Bali

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 Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $811 per month in Colombo vs $1,187 in Bali, rent included.

Colombo $811
Bali $1,187

A couple spends around $1,298 per month in Colombo vs $2,004 in Bali, rent included.

Colombo $1,298
Bali $2,004

A family of three spends $1,785 per month in Colombo vs $2,822 in Bali, rent included.

Colombo $1,785
Bali $2,822

Colombo is about 32% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Colombo and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Colombo 40% lower, Bali 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,304

$2.80 Rp 50.7K

40.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 LKR 8,174

$28.85 Rp 521.5K

-14.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,458

$4.76 Rp 86.1K

55.25%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

9.42%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

-48.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.0

$0.56 Rp 10.2K

-55.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

-4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,006

$3.55 Rp 64.2K

-14.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 525

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$2.18 Rp 39.4K

-75.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

-22.86%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.92 Rp 34.7K

-15.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 LKR 5,033

$14.84 Rp 268.3K

2.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 LKR 1,701

$3.86 Rp 69.8K

32.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,546

$10.69 Rp 193.1K

-28.34%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,200

$3.34 Rp 60.3K

98.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 292

$1.46 Rp 26.4K

-39.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,381

$2.22 Rp 40.2K

86.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 425

$1.80 Rp 32.6K

-28.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-39.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$2.23 Rp 40.2K

-63.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 404

$0.92 Rp 16.5K

31.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.46 Rp 8,320

-2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 LKR 3,337

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

387.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,553

$20.38 Rp 368.3K

-32.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$2.16 Rp 39.1K

-10.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 987

$2.85 Rp 51.5K

4.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

$0.25 Rp 4,537

-28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,708

$8.68 Rp 157.0K

-6.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.44 Rp 7,968

-15.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 111

$0.43 Rp 7,777

-20.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$5.38 Rp 97.3K

-83.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 439

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

55.29%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$23.7K Rp 429.1M

83.45%

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

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

$32.9K Rp 593.8M

37.27%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

-24.84%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,424

$6.33 Rp 114.4K

-32.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$18.93 Rp 342.1K

9.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,773

$41.65 Rp 752.8K

-51.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,042

$14.78 Rp 267.1K

-58.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,541

$3.58 Rp 64.7K

29.33%

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

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

$437 Rp 7.9M

-90.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$11.0K Rp 199.5M

55.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 LKR 6,025

$43.09 Rp 778.8K

-57.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,766

$33.51 Rp 605.6K

-48.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$75.0 Rp 1.4M

3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

$73.9 Rp 1.3M

-44.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

$957 Rp 17.3M

-41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

$570 Rp 10.3M

-52.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.2K

$3,028 Rp 54.7M

-44.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.0K

$1,446 Rp 26.1M

-60.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

$2,096 Rp 37.9M

78.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$1,885 Rp 34.1M

-38.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

$215 Rp 3.9M

15.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

13.78

-9.29%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bali: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$271 33.4%

Bali

$570 48% 110% $299

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$244 30.1%

Bali

$263 22.2% 7.7% $19

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.7%

Bali

$89 7.5% 13.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$83 10.2%

Bali

$102 8.6% 23.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Bali

$101 8.6% 46.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$30 3.7%

Bali

$49 4.1% 64.7% $19

Getting Around

Colombo

$11 1.3%

Bali

$12 1% 12.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $565 in Colombo versus $957 in Bali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 15% higher in Colombo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Colombo versus $29 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $263 – making Colombo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

09:23 9:23 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 18,075 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.53 USD). 1 EUR = 20,291 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.93 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Bali 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Bali

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 Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 46% more than Colombo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,217 per month in Colombo and $1,780 in Bali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Colombo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $565 there versus $957 in Bali.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Colombo and $29 in Bali. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $811 in Colombo and $1,187 in Bali. That makes Colombo about 32% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $811 in Colombo and $1,187 in Bali. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Colombo costs $811 versus $1,187 in Bali. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Colombo is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 32% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.