Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $510 a month against $811 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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 Galle
Learn more

Galle Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Galle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Colombo versus $510 in Galle.

Colombo $811
Galle $510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,298 in Colombo versus $829 in Galle.

Colombo $1,298
Galle $829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,785 in Colombo versus $1,148 in Galle.

Colombo $1,785
Galle $1,148

Living in Colombo is roughly 59% more expensive than in Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 40% lower, Galle 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,304

$3.71 LKR 1,233

5.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 LKR 8,177

$25.23 LKR 8,393

-2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,458

$7.43 LKR 2,472

-0.54%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$2.55 LKR 847

-4.31%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$0.73 LKR 242

-8.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.25 LKR 83.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$2.17 LKR 720

-1.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,007

$2.98 LKR 992

1.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 525

$1.64 LKR 546

-3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$0.57 LKR 191

-7.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.81 LKR 268

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.64 LKR 547

-1.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 LKR 5,035

$15.40 LKR 5,122

-1.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 LKR 1,701

$5.11 LKR 1,701

0.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,547

$7.40 LKR 2,462

3.51%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,201

$6.43 LKR 2,140

2.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 293

$0.82 LKR 272

7.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,382

$4.22 LKR 1,404

-1.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 425

$1.32 LKR 438

-3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.05 LKR 348

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.81 LKR 271

1.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 404

$1.25 LKR 416

-3.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.45 LKR 151

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 LKR 3,338

$10.31 LKR 3,428

-2.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,555

$13.53 LKR 4,500

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.95 LKR 648

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 987

$2.85 LKR 948

4.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

$0.16 LKR 52.5

12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.29 LKR 95.8

27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 112

$0.31 LKR 104

9.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$0.87 LKR 290

2.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 440

$1.33 LKR 441

-0.75%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

1.71%

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

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

-1.44%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

2.72%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,424

$4.09 LKR 1,360

4.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,872

$21.08 LKR 7,011

-1.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,775

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,043

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,541

$4.64 LKR 1,545

-0.22%

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

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

$39.64 LKR 13.2K

3.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

-0.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 LKR 6,027

$18.17 LKR 6,042

-0.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,768

$17.46 LKR 5,809

-0.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

-0.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

$42.00 LKR 14.0K

-1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

$316 LKR 105.1K

-21.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

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

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Galle: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$271 33.4%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$244 30.1%

Galle

$244 47.8% 0% $0

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.7%

Galle

$103 20.2% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$83 10.2%

Galle

$81 15.9% 1.6% $1.3

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Galle

$70 13.7% 0.6% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$30 3.7%

Galle

$9.3 * 1.8% 68.7% $20

Getting Around

Colombo

$11 1.3%

Galle

$2.5 * 0.5% 77.2% $8.4

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

Cost Breakdown

Galle pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

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

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

Same time as Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

100,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Colombo Galle 110 km

From you

Colombo
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galle wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Galle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% 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.

Childcare runs $41 in Colombo versus $40 in Galle. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $811 per month in Colombo versus $510 in Galle – Galle is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Galle gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Galle delivers better value at $510 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Galle hard to pass up.