Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Sousse

For one person, living costs are similar in Colombo and in Sousse: $803 and $779 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Sousse
Learn more

Sousse Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Sousse

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Sousse

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $803 in Colombo versus $779 in Sousse.

Colombo $803
Sousse $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,208 in Colombo versus $1,261 in Sousse.

Colombo $1,208
Sousse $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Colombo versus $1,743 in Sousse.

Colombo $1,614
Sousse $1,743

Living in Colombo is roughly 3% more expensive than in Sousse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Sousse 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 LKR 1,250

$4.90 TND 14.67

-23.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.25 LKR 8,362

$23.60 TND 70.7

6.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 LKR 2,519

$6.75 TND 20.22

12.74%

Cappuccino

$2.58 LKR 856

$1.10 TND 3.29

134.55%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$0.73 TND 2.19

-6.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.38 TND 1.12

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 748

$1.72 TND 5.14

31.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 995

$1.66 TND 4.98

80.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 541

$0.44 TND 1.32

270.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 187

$0.13 TND 0.40

338.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$1.24 TND 3.71

-36.29%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 563

$1.61 TND 4.82

5.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 LKR 4,522

$13.70 TND 41.05

-0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,604

$5.80 TND 17.37

-16.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,525

$13.98 TND 41.87

-45.49%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 LKR 2,156

$2.02 TND 6.05

222.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$3.49 TND 10.46

-75.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 LKR 1,487

$1.02 TND 3.07

340.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 443

$0.69 TND 2.06

94.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$0.87 TND 2.62

13.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.69 TND 2.05

18.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 305

$0.43 TND 1.30

113.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.33 TND 0.97

36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,370

$3.76 TND 11.25

170.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.69 LKR 4,204

$5.98 TND 17.90

112.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 621

$1.03 TND 3.08

81.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 973

$1.13 TND 3.39

160.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 LKR 57.9

$0.33 TND 0.99

-48.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.01 LKR 2,322

$9.88 TND 29.60

-29.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 124

$0.34 TND 1.03

11.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.69 TND 2.08

-46.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$4.00 TND 11.98

-76.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 454

$0.81 TND 2.43

69.14%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$40.3K TND 120.6K

7.85%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$36.8K TND 110.1K

12.36%

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

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

$75.1 TND 225

-20.35%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,444

$13.68 TND 40.97

-68.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.96 LKR 6,942

$19.58 TND 58.6

7.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 LKR 4,710

$28.10 TND 84.2

-49.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 LKR 1,870

$26.30 TND 78.8

-78.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,525

$6.54 TND 19.59

-29.66%

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

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

$92.6 TND 277

-59.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

$3,228 TND 9,667

-62.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.18 LKR 6,020

$52.6 TND 158

-65.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.85 LKR 5,580

$70.9 TND 212

-76.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

$149 TND 447

-48.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

$99.4 TND 298

-57.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 LKR 187.8K

$241 TND 721

135.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.6K

$161 TND 483

69.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

$512 TND 1,533

194.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 LKR 140.4K

$346 TND 1,037

22.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

$978 TND 2,929

282.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

$621 TND 1,859

86.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 LKR 83.9K

$380 TND 1,139

-33.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

11.4

11.32%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sousse: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$274 34.1%

Sousse

$161 20.7% 41.1% $113

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$237 29.5%

Sousse

$197 25.3% 16.9% $40

Eating Out

Colombo

$105 13.1%

Sousse

$89 11.4% 15.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$85 10.6%

Sousse

$108 13.9% 27.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.7%

Sousse

$167 21.5% 141% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.9%

Sousse

$41 5.3% 75.8% $18

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.2%

Sousse

$15 1.9% 50.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $567 in Colombo and $241 in Sousse. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sousse pays 50% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Colombo vs $24.00 in Sousse for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $197 per month, with Sousse cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇹🇳 Sousse

🕒 Local time

23:14 11:14 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

4 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

221,530

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Sousse 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Sousse

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 Sousse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sousse wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sousse the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Sousse. 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: $567 in Colombo versus $241 in Sousse. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sousse – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $25.00 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $779 in Sousse versus $803 in Colombo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sousse but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Sousse the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sousse delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $779 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sousse hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Sousse gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.