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

🙂 Solo nomad: Colombo is 9.2% cheaper than Cha-am without rent, and 22.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Colombo is 5.3% more expensive than Cha-am without rent, and 15.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 LKR 1,241

$3.10 ฿99.0

26.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.89 LKR 7,853

$21.64 ฿692

15.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 LKR 2,714

$9.00 ฿288

-4.44%

Cappuccino

$2.63 LKR 830

$2.04 ฿65.2

28.92%

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

$0.69 LKR 219

$0.63 ฿20.22

9.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 LKR 127

$0.42 ฿13.30

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 LKR 718

$2.39 ฿76.6

-5.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 LKR 1,066

$3.80 ฿121

-11.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 LKR 559

$1.75 ฿55.8

1.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 179

$1.35 ฿43.01

-57.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 262

$1.28 ฿40.85

-35.16%

Eggs

$2.12 LKR 668

$1.84 ฿58.7

15.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 LKR 4,371

$13.51 ฿432

2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.64 LKR 1,463

$3.27 ฿104

41.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 LKR 2,516

$11.08 ฿354

-27.98%

Apples (1kg)

$7.39 LKR 2,330

$3.03 ฿96.9

143.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 LKR 353

$1.30 ฿41.41

-13.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.65 LKR 1,783

$1.89 ฿60.4

198.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 381

$1.58 ฿50.5

-23.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 LKR 362

$1.69 ฿54.1

-31.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 LKR 444

$1.25 ฿40.00

12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 LKR 374

$1.20 ฿38.48

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 LKR 191

$0.46 ฿14.61

32.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.19 LKR 3,214

$4.72 ฿151

115.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,061

$18.93 ฿605

-32.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 655

$1.75 ฿55.9

18.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 925

$3.53 ฿113

-17.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 58.7

$0.95 ฿30.44

-80.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.93 LKR 1,555

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 121

$1.06 ฿33.94

-64.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 111

$0.71 ฿22.69

-50.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 LKR 194

$3.49 ฿112

-82.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 LKR 384

$1.35 ฿43.04

-9.63%

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

$26.8K LKR 8.5M

$19.7K ฿628.3K

36.61%

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

$34.6K LKR 10.9M

$21.5K ฿686.3K

61.27%

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

$60.1 LKR 18.9K

$72.5 ฿2,317

-17.14%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,375

$12.98 ฿415

-66.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.10 LKR 4,763

$18.57 ฿594

-18.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.30 LKR 4,513

$24.49 ฿783

-41.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.38 LKR 2,329

$12.10 ฿387

-39.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.34 LKR 1,053

$7.76 ฿248

-56.96%

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

$36.76 LKR 11.6K

$137 ฿4,366

-73.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$445 LKR 140.5K

$9,191 ฿293.8K

-95.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.84 LKR 8,783

$30.01 ฿960

-7.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.75 LKR 6,231

$19.89 ฿636

-0.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 LKR 21.6K

$61.5 ฿1,967

11.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.76 LKR 12.2K

$44.71 ฿1,429

-13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 LKR 119.3K

$463 ฿14.8K

-18.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 LKR 55.2K

$364 ฿11.6K

-51.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$969 LKR 305.6K

$761 ฿24.3K

27.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 LKR 115.5K

$672 ฿21.5K

-45.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,718 LKR 1.2M

$2,172 ฿69.4K

71.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,230 LKR 388.0K

$1,468 ฿46.9K

-16.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$242 LKR 76.4K

$374 ฿12.0K

-35.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

5.45

201.83%

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

Last update for Colombo: April 13, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: April 14, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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