Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Homagama

For one person, living is cheaper in Homagama: $485 a month against $804 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Homagama
Learn more

Homagama Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Homagama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$485

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Homagama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $485 in Homagama.

Colombo $804
Homagama $485

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $742 in Homagama.

Colombo $1,240
Homagama $742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $998 in Homagama.

Colombo $1,675
Homagama $998

Living in Colombo is roughly 66% more expensive than in Homagama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Homagama 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$3.72 LKR 1,237

0.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,217

$25.25 LKR 8,395

-2.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$7.65 LKR 2,542

-0.65%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$2.53 LKR 841

-3.16%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$0.68 LKR 227

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.27 LKR 90.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$2.19 LKR 728

1.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$3.03 LKR 1,008

1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$0.86 LKR 288

82.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.54 LKR 179

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$0.51 LKR 171

56.86%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.70 LKR 565

0.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,626

$14.01 LKR 4,656

-0.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,590

$3.29 LKR 1,093

45.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$7.33 LKR 2,436

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,126

$6.67 LKR 2,219

-4.05%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$0.87 LKR 288

-2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$4.46 LKR 1,483

-4.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.32 LKR 438

0.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$1.01 LKR 336

-0.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.95 LKR 315

-2.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.43 LKR 143

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,435

$10.18 LKR 3,384

1.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,279

$12.20 LKR 4,055

5.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$1.86 LKR 617

3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$2.13 LKR 707

40.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.3

$0.47 LKR 157

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.35 LKR 115

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.37 LKR 123

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$0.95 LKR 314

-1.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.09 LKR 362

21.10%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$13.6K LKR 4.5M

220.05%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$21.4K LKR 7.1M

85.73%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$21.27 LKR 7,070

176.68%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$3.04 LKR 1,009

38.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,853

$20.60 LKR 6,850

0.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

$7.36 LKR 2,448

170.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$4.40 LKR 1,462

0.45%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$37.10 LKR 12.3K

2.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

$1,228 LKR 408.2K

-1.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,907

$18.30 LKR 6,083

-2.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,525

$12.20 LKR 4,057

36.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$24.25 LKR 8,061

220.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$27.07 LKR 9,000

55.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

$136 LKR 45.4K

329.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

$61.4 LKR 20.4K

347.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$149 LKR 49.6K

73.51%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Homagama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Homagama

$61 12.7% 77.7% $214

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Homagama

$218 44.9% 7.3% $17

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Homagama

$104 21.4% 0.7% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Homagama

$45 9.3% 46.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Homagama

$37 7.6% 47% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Homagama

$16 3.3% 43.8% $13

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Homagama

$4.1 * 0.8% 53.8% $4.8

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 $586 in Colombo and $136 in Homagama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colombo pays 74% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $25 in Homagama. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $218, with Homagama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇱🇰 Homagama

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

Same time as Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

25,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Colombo Homagama 20 km

From you

Colombo
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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 Homagama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Homagama wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Homagama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Colombo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $586 in Colombo versus $136 in Homagama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $804 per month in Colombo versus $485 in Homagama – Homagama is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Homagama 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 Homagama delivers better value at $485 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Homagama hard to pass up.

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