Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Vila Velha

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $811 a month against $904 in Vila Velha, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Vila Velha
Learn more

Vila Velha Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Vila Velha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Vila Velha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Colombo versus $904 in Vila Velha.

Colombo $811
Vila Velha $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,298 in Colombo versus $1,478 in Vila Velha.

Colombo $1,298
Vila Velha $1,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,785 in Colombo versus $2,053 in Vila Velha.

Colombo $1,785
Vila Velha $2,053

Living in Colombo costs roughly 10% less than in Vila Velha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 40% lower, Vila Velha 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,304

$8.52 R$46.29

-53.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 LKR 8,176

$36.74 R$200

-33.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,458

$7.29 R$39.65

1.37%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$2.18 R$11.88

11.93%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$1.31 R$7.13

-48.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.50 R$2.70

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$1.88 R$10.24

13.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,007

$2.75 R$14.94

10.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 525

$0.99 R$5.39

59.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$1.45 R$7.88

-63.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$1.81 R$9.86

-55.25%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 539

$2.13 R$11.59

-23.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 LKR 5,034

$8.33 R$45.28

81.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 LKR 1,701

$4.19 R$22.80

22.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,546

$8.59 R$46.70

-10.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,201

$1.83 R$9.96

261.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 293

$0.87 R$4.70

1.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,382

$1.13 R$6.14

267.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 425

$1.22 R$6.63

4.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.18 R$6.40

-11.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$1.27 R$6.91

-35.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 404

$0.43 R$2.31

181.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.73 R$3.96

-38.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 LKR 3,338

$3.06 R$16.66

228.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,554

$8.40 R$45.66

62.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.64 R$8.92

17.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 987

$2.11 R$11.48

40.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

$0.94 R$5.11

-80.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

$48.22 R$262

-83.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$1.27 R$6.90

-70.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 112

$0.75 R$4.09

-54.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$11.85 R$64.4

-92.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 440

$1.17 R$6.37

12.82%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$31.5K R$171.3K

38.24%

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

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

$30.9K R$168.1K

45.89%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$105 R$570

-44.99%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,424

$16.33 R$88.8

-73.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,871

$14.03 R$76.3

47.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,775

$25.21 R$137

-19.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,043

$26.03 R$142

-76.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,541

$6.58 R$35.75

-29.64%

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

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

$400 R$2,172

-89.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$13.6K R$73.9K

26.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 LKR 6,026

$72.2 R$393

-74.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,767

$48.23 R$262

-64.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$79.8 R$434

-2.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

$70.9 R$385

-41.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

$285 R$1,550

98.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

$230 R$1,250

17.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

$541 R$2,940

212.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.0K

$533 R$2,900

7.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

$1,892 R$10.3K

97.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

$1,937 R$10.5K

-40.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

$386 R$2,097

-35.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

11.33

10.33%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Vila Velha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$271 33.4%

Vila Velha

$230 25.5% 15.1% $41

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$244 30.1%

Vila Velha

$183 20.2% 25.2% $62

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.7%

Vila Velha

$138 15.3% 34% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$83 10.2%

Vila Velha

$135 15% 63.6% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Vila Velha

$122 13.5% 75.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$30 3.7%

Vila Velha

$38 4.3% 29.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Colombo

$11 1.3%

Vila Velha

$57 6.3% 423% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $565 in Colombo and $285 in Vila Velha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vila Velha pays 55% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $37 in Vila Velha. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $183, with Vila Velha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇧🇷 Vila Velha

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

09:39 9:39 AM

8 h 30 min behind Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

467,722

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Colombo Vila Velha 13,410 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Colombo
Vila Velha

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 Vila Velha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Vila Velha. 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 36% 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: $565 in Colombo versus $285 in Vila Velha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Vila Velha pay roughly 25% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25 versus $37 in Vila Velha. 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, Vila Velha on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.