Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Tripoli, Lebanon

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $1,060 in Tripoli, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
Learn more

Tripoli Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Tripoli

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $804 in Colombo versus $1,060 in Tripoli.

Colombo $804
Tripoli $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Colombo versus $1,612 in Tripoli.

Colombo $1,240
Tripoli $1,612

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,675 in Colombo versus $2,164 in Tripoli.

Colombo $1,675
Tripoli $2,164

Living in Colombo costs roughly 24% less than in Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 41% lower, Tripoli 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,243

$4.92 LBP 440.5K

-23.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.72 LKR 8,219

$49.85 LBP 4.5M

-50.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 LKR 2,529

$8.89 LBP 795.8K

-14.51%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 814

$4.04 LBP 361.4K

-39.36%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.52 LBP 135.9K

-55.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.91 LBP 81.5K

-70.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$4.92 LBP 440.7K

-54.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,020

$4.73 LBP 423.5K

-35.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.31 LBP 117.3K

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.85 LBP 75.8K

-36.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.51 LBP 135.3K

-47.02%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.17 LBP 104.4K

46.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 LKR 4,628

$10.96 LBP 981.2K

27.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.78 LKR 1,591

$6.47 LBP 578.7K

-26.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.46 LKR 2,481

$11.09 LBP 992.9K

-32.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.40 LKR 2,127

$3.04 LBP 271.8K

110.53%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 284

$1.63 LBP 146.2K

-47.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,416

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

166.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 443

$0.48 LBP 43.0K

177.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$0.58 LBP 51.5K

72.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.61 LBP 144.2K

-49.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.85 LBP 75.8K

9.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.46 LBP 41.4K

-2.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.33 LKR 3,436

$3.08 LBP 275.9K

235.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 LKR 4,280

$11.18 LBP 1.0M

15.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 642

$1.28 LBP 114.4K

50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 999

$2.58 LBP 231.1K

16.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 59.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$5.04 LBP 451.4K

-92.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.97 LBP 87.0K

-63.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 312

$20.26 LBP 1.8M

-95.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.10 LBP 98.3K

20.00%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$53.5K LBP 4.8B

-18.80%

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

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

$32.5K LBP 2.9B

22.02%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$213 LBP 19.0M

-72.31%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$14.16 LBP 1.3M

-70.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.61 LKR 6,855

$22.64 LBP 2.0M

-8.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,613

$39.90 LBP 3.6M

-50.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,933

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,469

$9.85 LBP 881.6K

-55.13%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$689 LBP 61.7M

-94.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

$3,420 LBP 306.1M

-64.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.77 LKR 5,909

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-73.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,527

$49.42 LBP 4.4M

-66.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$139 LBP 12.4M

-43.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

$121 LBP 10.8M

-65.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.8K

$402 LBP 36.0M

45.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.5K

$201 LBP 17.9M

37.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

$737 LBP 66.0M

127.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

$343 LBP 30.7M

42.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

$1,184 LBP 105.9M

207.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$843 LBP 75.5M

37.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

$448 LBP 40.1M

-42.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

15.36%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tripoli: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$275 34.2%

Tripoli

$201 18.9% 27.1% $75

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$235 29.2%

Tripoli

$212 20% 9.7% $23

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.8%

Tripoli

$158 14.9% 53.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$84 10.4%

Tripoli

$249 23.5% 198% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Tripoli

$170 16% 144% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$29 3.6%

Tripoli

$60 5.6% 108% $31

Getting Around

Colombo

$8.8 1.1%

Tripoli

$9.9 * 0.9% 12.1% $1.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $586 in Colombo and $402 in Tripoli. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tripoli pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $50 in Tripoli. Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $212, with Tripoli cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇱🇧 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

00:15 12:15 AM

3 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

999,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Colombo Tripoli 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Tripoli

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 Tripoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 42% 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 $402 in Tripoli. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Colombo versus $689 in Tripoli. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25 versus $50 in Tripoli. 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, Tripoli on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.