Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Chapeco

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $803 a month against $980 in Chapeco, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Chapeco
Learn more

Chapeco Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Chapeco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Chapeco

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $803 in Colombo versus $980 in Chapeco.

Colombo $803
Chapeco $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,208 in Colombo versus $1,454 in Chapeco.

Colombo $1,208
Chapeco $1,454

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Colombo versus $1,927 in Chapeco.

Colombo $1,614
Chapeco $1,927

Living in Colombo costs roughly 18% less than in Chapeco, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Chapeco 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 LKR 1,250

$5.53 R$28.05

-31.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.25 LKR 8,362

$35.46 R$180

-28.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 LKR 2,519

$8.92 R$45.20

-14.69%

Cappuccino

$2.58 LKR 856

$1.92 R$9.76

34.38%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$0.75 R$3.80

-9.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.59 R$2.98

-57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 748

$1.45 R$7.33

55.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 995

$2.31 R$11.73

29.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 541

$0.90 R$4.56

81.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 187

$1.14 R$5.78

-50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$2.14 R$10.85

-63.08%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 563

$1.86 R$9.44

-8.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 LKR 4,522

$8.24 R$41.75

65.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,604

$7.53 R$38.20

-35.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,525

$10.95 R$55.5

-30.41%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 LKR 2,156

$2.34 R$11.88

178.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$0.99 R$5.02

-14.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 LKR 1,487

$0.53 R$2.68

747.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 443

$0.70 R$3.54

91.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$0.53 R$2.70

86.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.53 R$2.70

54.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 305

$0.95 R$4.83

-3.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.70 R$3.53

-35.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,370

$2.32 R$11.75

338.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.69 LKR 4,204

$9.31 R$47.19

36.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 621

$0.88 R$4.48

112.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 973

$1.48 R$7.49

98.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 LKR 57.9

$0.97 R$4.94

-82.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.01 LKR 2,322

$36.44 R$185

-80.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 124

$1.28 R$6.50

-70.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 454

$1.17 R$5.93

17.09%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$22.9K R$116.0K

89.81%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$30.5K R$154.6K

35.45%

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

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

$172 R$873

-65.24%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,444

$10.47 R$53.1

-58.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.96 LKR 6,942

$18.84 R$95.5

11.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 LKR 4,710

$26.24 R$133

-45.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 LKR 1,870

$33.45 R$170

-83.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,525

$6.68 R$33.86

-31.14%

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

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.18 LKR 6,020

$26.98 R$137

-32.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.85 LKR 5,580

$18.26 R$92.6

-7.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

$36.87 R$187

110.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

$53.6 R$272

-21.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 LKR 187.8K

$415 R$2,103

36.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.6K

$329 R$1,668

-16.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

$851 R$4,313

77.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 LKR 140.4K

$536 R$2,718

-20.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

$1,509 R$7,649

148.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

$987 R$5,005

17.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 LKR 83.9K

$414 R$2,097

-38.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Colombo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chapeco: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$274 34.1%

Chapeco

$329 33.6% 20.2% $55

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$237 29.5%

Chapeco

$196 20% 17.3% $41

Eating Out

Colombo

$105 13.1%

Chapeco

$111 11.4% 6% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$85 10.6%

Chapeco

$201 20.6% 137% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.7%

Chapeco

$61 6.2% 12.1% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.9%

Chapeco

$40 4% 69% $16

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.2%

Chapeco

$42 * 4.3% 318% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $567 in Colombo and $415 in Chapeco. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chapeco pays 63% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Colombo vs $35.00 in Chapeco. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $196, with Chapeco cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇧🇷 Chapeco

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

21:25 9:25 PM

8 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

243,477

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Chapeco 14,530 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Chapeco

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 Chapeco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Chapeco. 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 63% lower in Chapeco. 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: $567 in Colombo versus $415 in Chapeco. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Chapeco pay roughly 21% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $803 per month in Colombo versus $980 in Chapeco – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $803 in Colombo versus $980 in Chapeco, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Chapeco. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $803 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Chapeco. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.