Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Oral

For one person, living is cheaper in Oral: $723 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Oral

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Oral

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $723 in Oral.

Colombo $804
Oral $723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,099 in Oral.

Colombo $1,240
Oral $1,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,476 in Oral.

Colombo $1,675
Oral $1,476

Living in Colombo is roughly 11% more expensive than in Oral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Oral 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$8.30 ₸3,764

-54.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,219

$33.73 ₸15.3K

-26.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,529

$8.12 ₸3,684

-6.40%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$1.85 ₸840

32.43%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$0.97 ₸441

-29.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.59 ₸267

-54.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$0.87 ₸394

155.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$2.06 ₸934

49.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.46 ₸661

7.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.47 ₸213

14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.69 ₸768

-52.66%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.44 ₸652

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,628

$8.92 ₸4,044

56.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,591

$4.39 ₸1,993

8.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$11.31 ₸5,129

-34.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,127

$1.25 ₸567

412.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 284

$2.03 ₸919

-58.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$2.38 ₸1,079

78.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$3.24 ₸1,470

-58.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.42 ₸190

138.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.32 ₸147

153.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.71 ₸322

30.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$1.14 ₸515

-60.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,436

$2.20 ₸997

369.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,280

$7.72 ₸3,502

66.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$0.65 ₸296

196.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.4

$0.23 ₸105

-21.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.65 ₸295

-38.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$5.47 ₸2,481

-82.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$0.62 ₸282

112.90%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$30.5K ₸13.8M

30.24%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$83.8 ₸38.0K

-29.73%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$8.66 ₸3,930

-51.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,855

$14.61 ₸6,627

41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,613

$55.5 ₸25.2K

-64.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,933

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$3.41 ₸1,546

29.62%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,909

$33.17 ₸15.0K

-46.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,527

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.8K

$281 ₸127.2K

108.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.5K

$213 ₸96.8K

28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

$449 ₸203.8K

273.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$317 ₸143.6K

54.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$439 ₸199.4K

-41.15%

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 Oral: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Oral

–

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Oral

–

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Oral

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Oral

–

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Oral

–

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Oral

–

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Oral

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $281 in Oral. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oral pays 70% 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 $34 in Oral. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $196, with Oral cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇰🇿 Oral

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

256,960

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Colombo Oral 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Oral

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 Oral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oral wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Oral the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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 $281 in Oral. 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 $723 in Oral – Oral is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% 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 Oral gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.