Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Penza

For one person, living costs are similar in Colombo and in Penza: $804 and $806 a month, rent and utilities included.

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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

Penza

🇷🇺 Russia

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Penza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $806 in Penza.

Colombo $804
Penza $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,271 in Penza.

Colombo $1,240
Penza $1,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,736 in Penza.

Colombo $1,675
Penza $1,736

Monthly costs are close between Colombo and Penza; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$8.58 ₽691

-56.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,219

$37.57 ₽3,026

-34.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,529

$7.85 ₽632

-3.18%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$3.60 ₽290

-31.94%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.06 ₽85.4

-35.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.71 ₽57.5

-61.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$2.41 ₽194

-7.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$2.75 ₽222

11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.06 ₽85.5

48.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.48 ₽39.01

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.57 ₽127

8.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,628

$13.35 ₽1,075

4.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,591

$4.30 ₽346

11.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,127

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 284

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.85 ₽68.7

-47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,436

$2.67 ₽215

286.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,280

$9.55 ₽769

34.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$1.06 ₽85.6

82.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$2.43 ₽196

23.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.4

$0.39 ₽31.21

-53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$2.55 ₽206

-84.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.24 ₽19.18

45.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$15.07 ₽1,214

-93.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$0.86 ₽69.2

53.49%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$39.1K ₽3.1M

11.03%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$43.8K ₽3.5M

-9.35%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$84.6 ₽6,814

-30.45%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$6.83 ₽550

-38.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,855

$11.04 ₽889

86.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,613

$86.9 ₽7,001

-77.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,933

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$6.55 ₽527

-32.52%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$376 ₽30.3K

-89.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,909

$169 ₽13.6K

-89.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,527

$73.0 ₽5,875

-77.22%

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

$339 ₽27.3K

72.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.5K

$207 ₽16.7K

32.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

$496 ₽40.0K

237.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$400 ₽32.3K

22.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$2,328 ₽187.5K

56.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$1,107 ₽89.1K

4.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$622 ₽50.1K

-58.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

-47.13%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Penza: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Penza

–

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Penza

–

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Penza

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Penza

–

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Penza

–

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Penza

–

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Penza

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $339 in Penza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Penza pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $38 in Penza. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $123, with Penza cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇷🇺 Penza

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

2 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

509,513

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.87 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Penza 6,030 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Penza

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 Penza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 58% 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 $339 in Penza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Penza pay roughly 48% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25 versus $38 in Penza. 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, Penza on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.