Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Kegalle

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $591 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kegalle
Learn more

Kegalle Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Kegalle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Kegalle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $591 in Kegalle.

Colombo $804
Kegalle $591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $860 in Kegalle.

Colombo $1,240
Kegalle $860

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,128 in Kegalle.

Colombo $1,675
Kegalle $1,128

Living in Colombo is roughly 36% more expensive than in Kegalle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Kegalle 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$3.06 LKR 1,018

22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,217

$23.93 LKR 7,954

3.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$7.33 LKR 2,436

3.68%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$2.43 LKR 808

0.82%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$0.43 LKR 143

58.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.25 LKR 83.1

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$2.14 LKR 711

3.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$2.95 LKR 982

4.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$1.65 LKR 548

-4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.47 LKR 156

14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$0.68 LKR 225

17.65%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.58 LKR 526

8.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,626

$13.59 LKR 4,519

2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,590

$4.93 LKR 1,638

-3.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$7.22 LKR 2,400

3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,126

$5.98 LKR 1,989

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$0.80 LKR 267

6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$4.45 LKR 1,481

-4.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.23 LKR 407

8.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.87 LKR 291

14.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.78 LKR 261

3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.37 LKR 124

151.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.43 LKR 141

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,435

$9.67 LKR 3,214

6.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,279

$12.60 LKR 4,189

2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$1.90 LKR 633

1.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$2.65 LKR 881

13.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.3

$0.57 LKR 190

-68.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

$7.63 LKR 2,537

-21.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.38 LKR 125

5.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.34 LKR 114

2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$0.94 LKR 313

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.38 LKR 458

-4.35%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$43.0K LKR 14.3M

0.94%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$36.3K LKR 12.1M

9.44%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$58.6 LKR 19.5K

0.39%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$4.27 LKR 1,419

-1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,853

$20.67 LKR 6,871

-0.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

$19.65 LKR 6,532

1.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

$14.79 LKR 4,916

-60.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$4.52 LKR 1,504

-2.21%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$37.83 LKR 12.6K

0.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

$1,216 LKR 404.4K

-0.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,907

$17.90 LKR 5,950

-0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,525

$15.22 LKR 5,060

9.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$45.67 LKR 15.2K

70.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$41.22 LKR 13.7K

2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

$121 LKR 40.2K

384.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

$90.8 LKR 30.2K

202.84%

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

$184 LKR 61.1K

40.77%

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 Kegalle: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Kegalle

$91 15.4% 67% $184

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Kegalle

$227 38.4% 3.6% $8.3

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Kegalle

$95 16.1% 7.9% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Kegalle

$84 14.1% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Kegalle

$54 9.1% 22.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Kegalle

$29 4.9% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Kegalle

$12 2% 36.1% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $121 in Kegalle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colombo pays 41% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $24 in Kegalle for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $227 per month, with Kegalle cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇱🇰 Kegalle

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

Same time as Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

17,900

💱 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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Between locations

Colombo Kegalle 64 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 Kegalle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kegalle wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kegalle the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% 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 $121 in Kegalle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kegalle – a meal for two runs $24 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $591 in Kegalle versus $804 in Colombo, a $800 budget is realistic in Kegalle but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Kegalle 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.

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