Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Haikou

For one person, living costs are similar in Colombo and in Haikou: $805 and $806 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
Learn more

Haikou Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Haikou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $805 in Colombo versus $806 in Haikou.

Colombo $805
Haikou $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,211 in Colombo versus $1,152 in Haikou.

Colombo $1,211
Haikou $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,617 in Colombo versus $1,497 in Haikou.

Colombo $1,617
Haikou $1,497

Monthly costs are close between Colombo and Haikou; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,287

$4.40 ¥29.45

-11.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.55 LKR 8,130

$14.72 ¥98.4

66.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,519

$6.02 ¥40.26

26.25%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 845

$2.43 ¥16.25

4.94%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$0.86 ¥5.74

-20.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.34 ¥2.27

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 LKR 745

$1.51 ¥10.06

49.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 LKR 1,019

$2.72 ¥18.18

13.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 539

$2.13 ¥14.26

-23.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 LKR 191

$1.48 ¥9.90

-60.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.66 ¥4.40

16.67%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 571

$1.36 ¥9.07

26.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 LKR 4,627

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,587

$3.92 ¥26.23

22.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 LKR 2,455

$15.42 ¥103

-51.95%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 LKR 2,168

$1.69 ¥11.30

286.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$0.87 ¥5.80

-8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 LKR 1,417

$1.11 ¥7.40

285.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 427

$0.93 ¥6.24

38.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 331

$0.89 ¥5.95

12.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 256

$0.73 ¥4.85

5.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 296

$0.47 ¥3.12

89.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.57 ¥3.83

-26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,413

$3.09 ¥20.68

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 LKR 4,274

$8.76 ¥58.6

47.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 633

$0.57 ¥3.84

235.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 969

$1.23 ¥8.23

138.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 63.9

$0.92 ¥6.17

-79.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.27 LKR 2,407

$53.3 ¥356

-86.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 135

$2.19 ¥14.66

-81.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.43 ¥2.86

-13.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 305

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 445

$1.22 ¥8.15

9.84%

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

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

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

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

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

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

$35.41 ¥237

66.53%

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

$4.37 LKR 1,446

$13.21 ¥88.3

-66.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.37 LKR 6,748

$13.38 ¥89.4

52.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.72 LKR 4,545

$45.67 ¥305

-69.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.64 LKR 1,868

$6.33 ¥42.35

-10.90%

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 LKR 1,476

$4.50 ¥30.10

-0.89%

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

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

$862 ¥5,762

-95.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

$19.5K ¥130.4K

-93.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.16 LKR 6,016

$27.00 ¥181

-32.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.76 LKR 5,550

$34.89 ¥233

-51.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

$44.76 ¥299

75.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

$37.57 ¥251

12.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$578 LKR 191.3K

$377 ¥2,523

53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 LKR 91.8K

$294 ¥1,966

-5.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

$570 ¥3,808

162.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$433 LKR 143.4K

$369 ¥2,469

17.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

$3,154 ¥21.1K

16.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

$2,183 ¥14.6K

-46.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 85.9K

$727 ¥4,859

-64.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

3.85

229.61%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Haikou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$277 34.4%

Haikou

$294 36.5% 6.1% $17

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$236 29.3%

Haikou

$169 * 20.9% 28.5% $67

Eating Out

Colombo

$106 13.1%

Haikou

$100 12.4% 5.2% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Haikou

$62 7.7% 25.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$70 8.7%

Haikou

$65 8.1% 7.5% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.8%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 142% $32

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.3%

Haikou

$61 7.6% 495% $51

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 $578 in Colombo and $377 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haikou pays 180% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25.00 in Colombo vs $15.00 in Haikou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $169 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

2,873,358

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Colombo Haikou 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Haikou

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 Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 180% lower in Haikou. 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: $578 in Colombo versus $377 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38.30 in Colombo versus $862 in Haikou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $15.00 in Haikou. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $805 in Colombo versus $806 in Haikou, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Haikou. 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 $805 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Haikou on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.