Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Colombo and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $811 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
Learn more

Wattala Living Index

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Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Colombo and in Wattala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Colombo versus $574 in Wattala.

Colombo $811
Wattala $574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,298 in Colombo versus $951 in Wattala.

Colombo $1,298
Wattala $951

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,785 in Colombo versus $1,328 in Wattala.

Colombo $1,785
Wattala $1,328

Living in Colombo is roughly 41% more expensive than in Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Colombo 40% lower, Wattala 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,304

$3.83 LKR 1,274

2.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.58 LKR 8,177

$24.35 LKR 8,098

0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,458

$7.64 LKR 2,540

-3.27%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$2.48 LKR 824

-1.61%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$0.68 LKR 227

-1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.27 LKR 89.9

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$2.14 LKR 712

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,007

$3.04 LKR 1,011

-0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 525

$1.59 LKR 528

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$0.54 LKR 178

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.77 LKR 256

5.19%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.64 LKR 545

-1.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.14 LKR 5,035

$14.00 LKR 4,655

8.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 LKR 1,701

$4.75 LKR 1,582

7.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,547

$7.34 LKR 2,440

4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,201

$6.41 LKR 2,133

3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 293

$0.80 LKR 265

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,382

$4.37 LKR 1,452

-5.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 425

$1.27 LKR 422

0.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.05 LKR 348

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.77 LKR 256

6.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 404

$0.95 LKR 315

27.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.43 LKR 143

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.04 LKR 3,338

$10.26 LKR 3,411

-2.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,555

$12.73 LKR 4,236

7.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.89 LKR 630

2.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 987

$2.90 LKR 965

2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

$0.20 LKR 66.4

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.41 LKR 136

-9.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 112

$0.34 LKR 113

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$0.89 LKR 295

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 440

$1.13 LKR 376

16.81%

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

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

0.74%

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

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

11.54%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

-2.14%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,424

$4.18 LKR 1,391

2.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,872

$20.89 LKR 6,949

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,775

$13.62 LKR 4,530

49.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,043

$4.57 LKR 1,519

34.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,541

$2.93 LKR 975

58.02%

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

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

8.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

$1,202 LKR 399.7K

1332.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.12 LKR 6,027

$18.04 LKR 5,999

0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.34 LKR 5,768

$16.50 LKR 5,490

5.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

-1.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

$104 LKR 34.6K

442.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

343.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

$241 LKR 80.2K

601.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.1K

$178 LKR 59.1K

223.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

12.69

-1.50%

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

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Colombo

$271 33.4%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 77.5% $210

Groceries & Markets

Colombo

$244 30.1%

Wattala

$234 40.7% 4.3% $11

Eating Out

Colombo

$103 12.7%

Wattala

$104 18.1% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Colombo

$83 10.2%

Wattala

$84 14.6% 1.7% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Colombo

$69 8.6%

Wattala

$69 12.1% 0.3% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Colombo

$30 3.7%

Wattala

$19 3.4% 34.3% $10

Getting Around

Colombo

$11 1.3%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 73.3% $8

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 $565 in Colombo and $104 in Wattala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Colombo vs $24 in Wattala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $234 per month, with Wattala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Colombo

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

Same time as Colombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

753,000

30,200

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Colombo Wattala 7 km

From you

Colombo
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wattala wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Wattala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,217 in Colombo and $861 in Wattala to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $565 in Colombo versus $104 in Wattala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $41 in Colombo versus $38 in Wattala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wattala – a meal for two runs $24 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Wattala gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.