Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Sulaymaniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah: $665 a month against $803 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Sulaymaniyah
Learn more

Sulaymaniyah Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Sulaymaniyah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Sulaymaniyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $803 in Colombo versus $665 in Sulaymaniyah.

Colombo $803
Sulaymaniyah $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,208 in Colombo versus $1,028 in Sulaymaniyah.

Colombo $1,208
Sulaymaniyah $1,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,614 in Colombo versus $1,391 in Sulaymaniyah.

Colombo $1,614
Sulaymaniyah $1,391

Living in Colombo is roughly 21% more expensive than in Sulaymaniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Sulaymaniyah 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 LKR 1,250

$4.35 IQD 6,572

-13.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.25 LKR 8,362

$19.60 IQD 29.6K

28.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.61 LKR 2,519

$5.93 IQD 8,957

28.33%

Cappuccino

$2.58 LKR 856

$2.35 IQD 3,553

9.79%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$0.39 IQD 589

74.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.22 IQD 333

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 748

$3.25 IQD 4,917

-30.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 995

$2.00 IQD 3,027

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 541

$1.12 IQD 1,688

45.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 187

$0.83 IQD 1,250

-31.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$1.67 IQD 2,524

-52.69%

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 563

$1.48 IQD 2,238

14.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.65 LKR 4,522

$4.53 IQD 6,842

201.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 LKR 1,604

$3.58 IQD 5,404

35.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,525

$13.05 IQD 19.7K

-41.61%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 LKR 2,156

$1.10 IQD 1,663

491.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.12 IQD 1,686

-24.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 LKR 1,487

$1.05 IQD 1,583

327.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 443

$0.59 IQD 897

127.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$0.46 IQD 690

115.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.62 IQD 942

32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 305

$0.64 IQD 965

43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.43 IQD 646

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,370

$2.04 IQD 3,077

398.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.69 LKR 4,204

$9.61 IQD 14.5K

32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 621

$1.68 IQD 2,537

11.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 973

$1.27 IQD 1,925

131.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 LKR 57.9

$0.52 IQD 780

-67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.01 LKR 2,322

$19.41 IQD 29.3K

-63.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 124

$2.03 IQD 3,060

-81.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$2.01 IQD 3,041

-81.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$4.51 IQD 6,820

-79.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 454

$0.57 IQD 854

140.35%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$17.9K IQD 27.1M

142.01%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

151.75%

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

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

$86.4 IQD 130.6K

-30.78%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,444

$9.77 IQD 14.8K

-55.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.96 LKR 6,942

$24.18 IQD 36.5K

-13.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 LKR 4,710

$33.41 IQD 50.5K

-57.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 LKR 1,870

$17.26 IQD 26.1K

-67.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,525

$6.73 IQD 10.2K

-31.65%

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

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

$152 IQD 229.3K

-75.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

$2,479 IQD 3.7M

-50.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.18 LKR 6,020

$16.44 IQD 24.8K

10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.85 LKR 5,580

$22.23 IQD 33.6K

-24.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

$37.34 IQD 56.4K

107.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

$33.57 IQD 50.7K

24.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 LKR 187.8K

$185 IQD 278.9K

207.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.6K

$149 IQD 225.6K

83.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

$423 IQD 638.5K

256.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 LKR 140.4K

$302 IQD 456.7K

40.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

$707 IQD 1.1M

429.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

$536 IQD 810.5K

116.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 LKR 83.9K

$488 IQD 737.3K

-48.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

5.77

119.93%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sulaymaniyah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$274 34.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$149 22.4% 45.4% $124

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$237 29.5%

Sulaymaniyah

$162 24.4% 31.4% $74

Eating Out

Colombo

$105 13.1%

Sulaymaniyah

$104 15.6% 1.5% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$85 10.6%

Sulaymaniyah

$120 18.1% 41.4% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.7%

Sulaymaniyah

$49 7.4% 29% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$23 2.9%

Sulaymaniyah

$47 7% 100% $23

Getting Around

Colombo

$10 1.2%

Sulaymaniyah

$34 5% 237% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $567 in Colombo and $185 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sulaymaniyah pays 93% 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 $20.00 in Sulaymaniyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $162 per month, with Sulaymaniyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

2 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

823,199

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Sulaymaniyah 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Sulaymaniyah

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 Sulaymaniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sulaymaniyah wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sulaymaniyah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 93% lower in Sulaymaniyah. 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 $185 in Sulaymaniyah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sulaymaniyah – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $25.00 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $665 in Sulaymaniyah versus $803 in Colombo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sulaymaniyah but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Sulaymaniyah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sulaymaniyah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $665 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sulaymaniyah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Colombo and Sulaymaniyah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sulaymaniyah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.