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Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Shantou Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Shantou

🙂 Solo nomad: Colombo is 3.4% cheaper than Shantou without rent, and 3.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Colombo is 4.6% more expensive than Shantou without rent, and 7.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.94 LKR 1,213
$2.08 ¥14.7
89.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.13 LKR 7,732
$16.65 ¥118
50.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.53 LKR 2,625
$4.97 ¥35.11
71.63%
Cappuccino
$2.63 LKR 810
$3.22 ¥22.74
-18.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 LKR 210
$0.47 ¥3.34
44.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 LKR 116
$0.28 ¥1.97
35.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 LKR 734
$0.86 ¥6.11
177.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 LKR 1,050
$2.7 ¥19.06
26.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.7 LKR 522
$1.66 ¥11.72
2.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.52 LKR 160
$1.38 ¥9.76
-62.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.86 LKR 264
$0.68 ¥4.82
26.47%
Eggs
$2.11 LKR 649
$1.87 ¥13.22
12.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.2 LKR 4,368
$12.98 ¥91.8
9.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.55 LKR 1,401
$3.9 ¥27.57
16.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.27 LKR 2,546
$11.97 ¥84.6
-30.91%
Apples (1kg)
$7.62 LKR 2,344
$1.87 ¥13.2
307.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 LKR 341
$1.41 ¥9.99
-21.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.85 LKR 1,799
$1.67 ¥11.79
250.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.25 LKR 384
$1.27 ¥9
-1.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.1 LKR 338
$0.78 ¥5.52
41.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 LKR 424
$0.93 ¥6.61
48.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 LKR 351
$0.64 ¥4.5
78.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 LKR 175
$0.43 ¥3.05
32.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.19 LKR 3,135
$3.52 ¥24.89
189.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.67 LKR 4,514
$11.58 ¥81.9
26.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.07 LKR 636
$0.77 ¥5.43
168.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 LKR 915
$1.81 ¥12.77
64.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 LKR 52.9
$0.36 ¥2.57
-52.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$5.05 LKR 1,554
$22.55 ¥159
-77.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 LKR 117
$1.5 ¥10.64
-74.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 LKR 109
$0.32 ¥2.28
9.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.61 LKR 188
$6.66 ¥47.11
-90.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 LKR 374
$1.15 ¥8.14
5.22%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.6K LKR 8.2M
$21.2K ¥149.9K
25.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K LKR 10.6M
$19.3K ¥136.5K
78.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.6 LKR 18.7K
$53.5 ¥378
13.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.42 LKR 1,359
$8.32 ¥58.8
-46.88%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.11 LKR 4,649
$12.8 ¥90.5
18.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$14.38 LKR 4,425
$42.57 ¥301
-66.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.3 LKR 2,245
$14.08 ¥99.6
-48.15%
Cinema Ticket
$3.31 LKR 1,018
$7.06 ¥49.89
-53.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.09 LKR 11.4K
$450 ¥3,184
-91.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$435 LKR 133.9K
$20.9K ¥148K
-97.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.33 LKR 8,409
$49.93 ¥353
-45.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.03 LKR 5,855
$30.12 ¥213
-36.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69 LKR 21.2K
$76.3 ¥539
-9.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$38.9 LKR 12K
$78.2 ¥553
-50.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$366 LKR 112.6K
$279 ¥1,971
31.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$177 LKR 54.6K
$141 ¥998
25.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$939 LKR 289K
$547 ¥3,865
71.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$368 LKR 113.3K
$279 ¥1,974
31.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,285 LKR 703.2K
$2,120 ¥15K
7.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,315 LKR 404.5K
$4,243 ¥30K
-69.02%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Colombo
Shantou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$224 LKR 69.1K
$997 ¥7,047
-77.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.45
4.04
307.18%

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

Last update for Colombo: December 1, 2025

Last update for Shantou: November 30, 2025

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