Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Jinan

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $641 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
Learn more

Jinan Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Jinan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $641 in Jinan.

Colombo $804
Jinan $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,061 in Jinan.

Colombo $1,240
Jinan $1,061

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,481 in Jinan.

Colombo $1,675
Jinan $1,481

Living in Colombo is roughly 25% more expensive than in Jinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Jinan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$2.58 ¥17.17

44.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,217

$24.83 ¥165

-0.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$4.84 ¥32.18

57.02%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$2.65 ¥17.66

-7.55%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$0.44 ¥2.93

54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.23 ¥1.53

17.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$0.87 ¥5.78

155.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$1.95 ¥12.99

57.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$1.45 ¥9.65

8.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$1.48 ¥9.85

-63.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.23 ¥8.18

-34.96%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.11 ¥7.41

54.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,626

$11.84 ¥78.8

17.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,590

$3.22 ¥21.44

48.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$11.14 ¥74.1

-33.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,126

$1.45 ¥9.65

341.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.01 ¥6.72

-15.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$1.37 ¥9.11

210.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.15 ¥7.68

15.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.57 ¥3.82

75.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.73 ¥4.85

10.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.56 ¥3.75

66.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.61 ¥4.07

-26.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,435

$3.84 ¥25.53

169.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,279

$9.91 ¥66.0

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$0.67 ¥4.44

188.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$1.30 ¥8.67

130.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.3

$0.31 ¥2.08

-41.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

$8.77 ¥58.4

-32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$1.61 ¥10.69

-75.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.25 ¥1.66

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$4.38 ¥29.17

-78.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.30 ¥8.68

1.54%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$19.5K ¥129.5K

123.09%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$15.1K ¥100.4K

162.92%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$73.7 ¥490

-20.15%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$6.89 ¥45.86

-39.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,853

$5.26 ¥35.03

291.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

$23.88 ¥159

-16.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

$9.01 ¥60.0

-35.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$5.12 ¥34.10

-13.67%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$214 ¥1,422

-82.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

$20.3K ¥135.0K

-94.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,907

$33.25 ¥221

-46.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,525

$42.51 ¥283

-60.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$71.6 ¥476

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$70.0 ¥466

-39.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

$252 ¥1,679

132.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

$146 ¥971

88.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

$612 ¥4,073

173.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$361 ¥2,401

35.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$2,470 ¥16.4K

47.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

$1,307 ¥8,699

-11.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$962 ¥6,400

-73.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

3.13

305.43%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jinan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Jinan

$146 22.8% 47% $129

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Jinan

$187 29.1% 20.5% $48

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Jinan

$78 12.2% 24.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Jinan

$86 13.4% 2.6% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Jinan

$98 15.3% 40.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Jinan

$34 5.3% 18.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Jinan

$13 2% 45.8% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $252 in Jinan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jinan pays about 3.7 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 $25 in Jinan. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $187, with Jinan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇨🇳 Jinan

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

05:14 5:14 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

9,202,432

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Colombo Jinan 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Jinan

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 Jinan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinan wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jinan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $252 in Jinan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Colombo versus $214 in Jinan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Colombo runs roughly 32% less than in Jinan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $641 in Jinan versus $804 in Colombo, a $800 budget is realistic in Jinan but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Jinan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.