Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Irbid

For one person, living is cheaper in Irbid: $769 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $420 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Colombo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Irbid
Learn more

Irbid Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Irbid

🇯🇴 Jordan

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Irbid

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $769 in Irbid.

Colombo $804
Irbid $769

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,226 in Irbid.

Colombo $1,240
Irbid $1,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,683 in Irbid.

Colombo $1,675
Irbid $1,683

Living in Colombo is roughly 5% more expensive than in Irbid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Irbid 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$4.25 JOD 3.01

-12.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,219

$41.82 JOD 29.61

-40.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,529

$6.94 JOD 4.91

9.51%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$1.45 JOD 1.03

68.97%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$0.46 JOD 0.32

47.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.34 JOD 0.24

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$6.48 JOD 4.58

-65.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$5.94 JOD 4.21

-48.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.18 JOD 0.84

33.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.45 JOD 0.32

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.55 JOD 1.10

-48.39%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.82 JOD 1.29

-6.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,628

$7.97 JOD 5.64

74.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,591

$4.56 JOD 3.23

4.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$12.81 JOD 9.07

-41.76%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,127

$1.38 JOD 0.98

363.77%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 284

$1.51 JOD 1.07

-43.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$1.04 JOD 0.74

309.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$0.62 JOD 0.44

114.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.88 JOD 0.62

13.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.84 JOD 0.60

-3.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.63 JOD 0.45

47.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.65 JOD 0.46

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,436

$3.55 JOD 2.52

190.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,280

$7.01 JOD 4.96

83.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$2.75 JOD 1.95

-29.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$4.27 JOD 3.02

-29.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.4

$0.68 JOD 0.48

-73.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.48 JOD 0.34

-16.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.43 JOD 1.01

-75.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$6.95 JOD 4.92

-86.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.69 JOD 1.20

-21.89%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$26.9K JOD 19.0K

61.50%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$31.4K JOD 22.2K

26.39%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$96.6 JOD 68.4

-39.05%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$15.44 JOD 10.93

-72.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,855

$31.36 JOD 22.20

-34.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,613

$34.59 JOD 24.49

-42.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,933

$21.08 JOD 14.93

-72.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$10.03 JOD 7.10

-55.93%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$94.2 JOD 66.7

-59.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

$4,011 JOD 2,840

-69.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,909

$44.97 JOD 31.84

-60.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,527

$28.33 JOD 20.06

-41.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$80.4 JOD 56.9

-3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$49.64 JOD 35.15

-14.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.8K

$218 JOD 155

168.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.5K

$161 JOD 114

71.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

$385 JOD 273

335.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$302 JOD 214

62.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$522 JOD 369

597.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$507 JOD 359

128.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$552 JOD 391

-53.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.94

82.85%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Irbid: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Irbid

$161 20.9% 41.6% $114

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Irbid

$189 24.6% 19.6% $46

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Irbid

$120 15.6% 16% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Irbid

$143 18.6% 71.3% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Irbid

$92 11.9% 31.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Irbid

$55 7.1% 90.3% $26

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Irbid

$10 * 1.3% 16.9% $1.5

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 $218 in Irbid. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Irbid pays about 2.1 times 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 $42 in Irbid. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $189, with Irbid cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇯🇴 Irbid

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

14:08 2:08 PM

2 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

292,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Irbid 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Irbid

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 Irbid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Irbid wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Irbid the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 53% 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: $586 in Colombo versus $218 in Irbid. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Colombo versus $94 in Irbid. 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 versus $42 in Irbid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.