Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Santa Rosa, Philippines

Name: Santa Rosa
Address: Santa Rosa, PH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $614 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$614

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Santa Rosa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $614 in Santa Rosa.

Colombo $804
Santa Rosa $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $873 in Santa Rosa.

Colombo $1,240
Santa Rosa $873

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,131 in Santa Rosa.

Colombo $1,675
Santa Rosa $1,131

Living in Colombo is roughly 31% more expensive than in Santa Rosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Santa Rosa 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$2.47 ₱158

51.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,217

$16.32 ₱1,042

51.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$2.76 ₱176

175.36%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$1.12 ₱71.3

118.75%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$0.36 ₱22.76

88.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.22 ₱13.96

22.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$1.00 ₱63.8

122.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$1.26 ₱80.7

143.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 520

$1.60 ₱102

-1.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$1.15 ₱73.6

-53.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$0.99 ₱63.6

-19.19%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.53 ₱97.7

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,626

$5.10 ₱326

172.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,590

$3.42 ₱219

39.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$7.75 ₱495

-3.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,126

$2.18 ₱139

193.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$0.80 ₱51.2

6.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$2.27 ₱145

87.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.00 ₱64.0

33.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$1.71 ₱109

-41.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.73 ₱111

-53.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.64 ₱40.97

45.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.48 ₱30.37

-6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,435

$2.80 ₱179

268.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,279

$8.75 ₱559

47.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$0.95 ₱61.0

103.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$2.03 ₱129

47.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.3

$0.21 ₱13.28

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

$13.39 ₱856

-55.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.81 ₱51.6

-50.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.24 ₱15.36

45.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$1.92 ₱123

-51.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.02 ₱65.2

29.41%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$21.2K ₱1.4M

104.51%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

107.15%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$62.5 ₱3,990

-5.76%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$6.40 ₱409

-34.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,853

$23.42 ₱1,496

-12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

$31.17 ₱1,991

-36.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

$5.99 ₱382

-3.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$5.16 ₱330

-14.34%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$132 ₱8,404

-71.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

$5,549 ₱354.5K

-78.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,907

$28.17 ₱1,800

-36.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,525

$19.31 ₱1,234

-13.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$71.5 ₱4,569

8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$55.1 ₱3,517

-23.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

$255 ₱16.3K

129.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

$168 ₱10.8K

63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

$494 ₱31.6K

239.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$169 ₱10.8K

190.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$2,457 ₱157.0K

47.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

$1,162 ₱74.2K

-0.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$140 ₱8,933

84.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.75

88.00%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Santa Rosa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Santa Rosa

$168 27.4% 38.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Santa Rosa

$166 27.1% 29.3% $69

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Santa Rosa

$51 8.3% 50.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Santa Rosa

$92 15% 10.3% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8% 12.7% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Santa Rosa

$41 6.8% 44.5% $13

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Santa Rosa

$16 2.6% 83.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $255 in Santa Rosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Colombo pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $16 in Santa Rosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $166 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🕒 Local time

23:34 11:34 PM

02:04 2:04 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

414,812

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Colombo Santa Rosa 4,580 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Santa Rosa

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 Santa Rosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rosa wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Santa Rosa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% 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 $255 in Santa Rosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Rosa – a meal for two runs $16 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Santa Rosa 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.

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