Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Stip

For one person, living costs are similar in Colombo and in Stip: $804 and $809 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Stip
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Stip Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Stip

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Stip

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $809 in Stip.

Colombo $804
Stip $809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,210 in Stip.

Colombo $1,240
Stip $1,210

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $1,611 in Stip.

Colombo $1,675
Stip $1,611

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$7.45 MKD 410

-49.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,219

$23.08 MKD 1,270

7.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,529

$6.30 MKD 346

20.63%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$1.81 MKD 99.3

35.36%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.43 MKD 78.6

-52.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$1.07 MKD 58.8

-74.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$1.84 MKD 101

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$2.75 MKD 151

11.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.27 MKD 70.1

23.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.74 MKD 40.86

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.11 MKD 61.0

-27.93%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$2.52 MKD 139

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,628

$7.96 MKD 438

74.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,591

$7.26 MKD 399

-34.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$7.21 MKD 397

3.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,127

$0.90 MKD 49.29

611.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 284

$1.45 MKD 79.6

-41.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$1.32 MKD 72.7

222.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$1.60 MKD 87.8

-16.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.88 MKD 48.66

13.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.80 MKD 43.95

1.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.56 MKD 30.97

66.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.42 MKD 23.10

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,436

$3.25 MKD 179

217.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,280

$7.42 MKD 408

73.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$1.03 MKD 56.8

87.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$1.49 MKD 81.8

101.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.4

$0.67 MKD 36.86

-73.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,983

$23.98 MKD 1,319

-75.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$1.08 MKD 59.3

-62.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.58 MKD 31.73

-39.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$5.54 MKD 304

-83.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.53 MKD 84.2

-13.73%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$33.1K MKD 1.8M

31.03%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$26.0K MKD 1.4M

52.80%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$158 MKD 8,677

-62.70%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$8.95 MKD 492

-53.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,855

$16.29 MKD 896

26.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,613

$27.01 MKD 1,485

-26.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,933

$17.36 MKD 955

-66.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$6.50 MKD 358

-32.00%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$357 MKD 19.6K

-89.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

$5,645 MKD 310.5K

-78.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,909

$35.74 MKD 1,966

-50.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,527

$30.66 MKD 1,686

-45.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$101 MKD 5,554

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$113 MKD 6,200

-62.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.8K

$201 MKD 11.1K

191.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.5K

$127 MKD 6,986

116.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

$331 MKD 18.2K

406.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$201 MKD 11.0K

144.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$1,210 MKD 66.5K

200.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$976 MKD 53.7K

18.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$463 MKD 25.5K

-44.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

4.23

200.00%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stip: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Stip

$127 15.7% 53.8% $148

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Stip

$177 21.9% 24.5% $58

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Stip

$125 15.4% 21.1% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Stip

$183 22.6% 119% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Stip

$126 15.6% 81.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Stip

$40 5% 39.3% $11

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Stip

$31 3.8% 247% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $201 in Stip. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Stip pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $23 in Stip for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $177 per month, with Stip cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇲🇰 Stip

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

4 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

65,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, 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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Stip 6,840 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Stip

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 Stip: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 44% 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 $201 in Stip. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Colombo versus $357 in Stip. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Stip – a meal for two runs $23 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, Stip on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.