Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $487 a month against $803 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $803 in Colombo versus $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.

Colombo $803
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,208 in Colombo versus $790 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.

Colombo $1,208
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Colombo versus $1,093 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.

Colombo $1,614
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093

Living in Colombo is roughly 65% more expensive than in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 LKR 1,250

$1.49 LKR 494

153.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.25 LKR 8,362

$25.02 LKR 8,286

0.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 LKR 2,519

$7.49 LKR 2,481

1.60%

Cappuccino

$2.58 LKR 856

$2.54 LKR 840

1.57%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$0.73 LKR 240

-6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.27 LKR 90.3

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 748

$2.22 LKR 736

1.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 995

$3.00 LKR 993

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 541

$1.62 LKR 537

0.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 187

$0.53 LKR 174

7.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$0.81 LKR 267

-2.47%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 563

$1.65 LKR 546

3.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 LKR 4,522

$13.93 LKR 4,614

-2.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,604

$4.85 LKR 1,606

-0.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,525

$7.54 LKR 2,496

1.06%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 LKR 2,156

$6.42 LKR 2,125

1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$0.87 LKR 288

-2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 LKR 1,487

$4.37 LKR 1,448

2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 443

$1.29 LKR 426

3.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$1.00 LKR 332

-1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.78 LKR 259

5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 305

$0.88 LKR 291

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.45 LKR 149

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,370

$10.38 LKR 3,439

-2.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.69 LKR 4,204

$13.03 LKR 4,317

-2.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 621

$1.89 LKR 626

-1.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 973

$3.00 LKR 994

-2.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 LKR 57.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.01 LKR 2,322

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 124

$0.38 LKR 125

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.35 LKR 115

5.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.90 LKR 297

3.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 454

$1.38 LKR 457

-0.72%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$43.0K LKR 14.2M

1.04%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

2.06%

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

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

$58.3 LKR 19.3K

2.59%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,444

$4.28 LKR 1,418

1.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.96 LKR 6,942

$20.80 LKR 6,888

0.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 LKR 4,710

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 LKR 1,870

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,525

$4.59 LKR 1,519

0.22%

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

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

$38.36 LKR 12.7K

-3.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

$1,206 LKR 399.5K

1.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.18 LKR 6,020

$18.46 LKR 6,116

-1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.85 LKR 5,580

$16.53 LKR 5,474

1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

-1.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

$42.38 LKR 14.0K

-1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 LKR 187.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

$460 LKR 152.2K

227.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 LKR 140.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 LKR 83.9K

$215 LKR 71.4K

17.60%

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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$274 34.1%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$237 29.5%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$236 48.5% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Colombo

$105 13.1%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$86 17.7% 18.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$85 10.6%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$83 17.1% 2% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.7%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$70 14.4% 1% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.9%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$9.2 * 1.9% 60.9% $14

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.2%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$2.1 * 0.4% 78.7% $7.8

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

Cost Breakdown

Colombo pays 18% 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 $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $236, with Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

Same time as Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

219,827

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Colombo Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 11 km

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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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Colombo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $37.19 in Colombo versus $38.36 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $25.00 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $803 in Colombo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $487 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Colombo and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.