Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Pasay

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $898 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pasay outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
Learn more

Pasay Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Pasay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $898 in Pasay.

Colombo $804
Pasay $898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,224 in Pasay.

Colombo $1,240
Pasay $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,551 in Pasay.

Colombo $1,675
Pasay $1,551

Living in Colombo costs roughly 10% less than in Pasay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Pasay 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$4.39 ₱281

-14.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,217

$18.79 ₱1,201

31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$2.79 ₱179

172.40%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$2.12 ₱135

15.57%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$0.59 ₱37.47

15.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.33 ₱21.30

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$1.15 ₱73.7

93.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$1.54 ₱98.3

99.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$1.63 ₱104

-3.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$1.16 ₱74.3

-53.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.02 ₱65.3

-21.57%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.83 ₱117

-6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,626

$4.97 ₱317

180.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,590

$4.23 ₱270

13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$6.83 ₱437

9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,126

$2.19 ₱140

192.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.56 ₱99.8

-45.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$2.34 ₱149

82.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.11 ₱70.8

19.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$2.33 ₱149

-57.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$3.27 ₱209

-75.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.23 ₱78.4

-24.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.85 ₱54.3

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,435

$2.96 ₱189

248.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,279

$7.56 ₱483

70.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$0.88 ₱56.3

119.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$1.73 ₱110

73.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.3

$0.20 ₱12.50

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.80 ₱51.3

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.21 ₱13.40

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$1.89 ₱121

-50.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.23 ₱78.6

7.32%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

110.65%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

106.27%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$139 ₱8,890

-57.71%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$14.40 ₱920

-70.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,853

$24.03 ₱1,535

-14.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

$47.26 ₱3,019

-57.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$4.99 ₱319

-11.42%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$70.6 ₱4,511

-45.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

$2,430 ₱155.3K

-50.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,907

$34.90 ₱2,230

-49.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,525

$19.11 ₱1,221

-13.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$70.2 ₱4,487

10.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$62.5 ₱3,996

-32.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

$427 ₱27.3K

37.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

$312 ₱20.0K

-11.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

$828 ₱52.9K

102.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$366 ₱23.4K

33.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$1,864 ₱119.1K

95.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

$567 ₱36.2K

104.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$512 ₱32.7K

-49.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

81.29%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Pasay

$312 34.8% 13.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Pasay

$183 20.4% 22.3% $52

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Pasay

$81 9.1% 21.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Pasay

$178 19.8% 112% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Pasay

$84 9.4% 21% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Pasay

$57 6.4% 99.3% $29

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3% 70.2% $6.2

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 $427 in Pasay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays 98% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $19 in Pasay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $183 per month, with Pasay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇵🇭 Pasay

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

06:15 6:15 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

416,522

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Pasay 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Pasay

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 Pasay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 49% 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 $427 in Pasay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Colombo versus $71 in Pasay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasay – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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