Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $811 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,900 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Dubai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Colombo versus $2,889 in Dubai.

Colombo $811
Dubai $2,889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,298 in Colombo versus $4,444 in Dubai.

Colombo $1,298
Dubai $4,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,785 in Colombo versus $5,999 in Dubai.

Colombo $1,785
Dubai $5,999

Living in Colombo costs roughly 72% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Colombo is 40% below, Dubai is 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,304

$12.94 AED 47.54

-69.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 LKR 8,177

$83.2 AED 306

-70.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,458

$9.35 AED 34.32

-20.96%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$5.88 AED 21.59

-58.50%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$1.57 AED 5.77

-57.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.94 AED 3.47

-73.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$13.44 AED 49.37

-84.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,007

$13.57 AED 49.84

-77.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 525

$1.86 AED 6.83

-15.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$1.56 AED 5.73

-66.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$2.64 AED 9.68

-69.32%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 539

$3.53 AED 12.96

-54.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 LKR 5,035

$12.97 AED 47.62

16.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 LKR 1,701

$9.94 AED 36.51

-48.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,547

$12.92 AED 47.45

-40.71%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,201

$2.55 AED 9.36

159.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 293

$2.05 AED 7.54

-57.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,382

$1.84 AED 6.77

125.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 425

$1.54 AED 5.64

-16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.17 AED 4.31

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$1.02 AED 3.76

-19.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 404

$1.57 AED 5.75

-22.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.67 AED 2.46

-32.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 LKR 3,338

$6.31 AED 23.17

59.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,555

$16.16 AED 59.4

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$2.58 AED 9.48

-25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 987

$2.89 AED 10.60

2.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

$1.40 AED 5.15

-87.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

$82.4 AED 303

-90.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$3.29 AED 12.07

-88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 112

$0.65 AED 2.40

-47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$8.13 AED 29.84

-89.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 440

$1.00 AED 3.68

32.00%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$26.3K AED 96.6K

65.63%

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

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

$22.0K AED 81.0K

104.56%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$239 AED 877

-75.85%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,424

$56.9 AED 209

-92.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,872

$93.9 AED 345

-78.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,775

$90.8 AED 334

-77.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,043

$46.38 AED 170

-86.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,541

$16.24 AED 59.6

-71.49%

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

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

$934 AED 3,429

-95.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$20.9K AED 76.8K

-17.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 LKR 6,027

$70.7 AED 260

-74.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,768

$61.3 AED 225

-71.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$103 AED 377

-24.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

$116 AED 426

-64.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

$2,487 AED 9,133

-77.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

$1,520 AED 5,581

-82.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

$5,234 AED 19.2K

-67.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.1K

$3,028 AED 11.1K

-81.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

$6,982 AED 25.6K

-46.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.2K

$4,433 AED 16.3K

-73.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

$3,553 AED 13.0K

-93.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

4.57

173.52%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$271 33.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6% 461% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$244 30.1%

Dubai

$297 10.3% 21.7% $53

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.7%

Dubai

$307 10.6% 197% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$83 10.2%

Dubai

$390 13.5% 372% $307

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Dubai

$158 5.5% 127% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$30 3.7%

Dubai

$123 4.3% 316% $94

Getting Around

Colombo

$11 1.3%

Dubai

$95 3.3% 768% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $565 in Colombo and $2,487 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 14 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $83 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $297 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

1 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Colombo Dubai 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Dubai. 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 93% 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: $565 in Colombo versus $2,487 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25 versus $83 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value at $811 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 72% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.