Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Decatur, AL and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $805 a month against $1,929 in Decatur, AL, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Decatur, AL
Learn more

Decatur, AL Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Decatur, AL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,929

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Decatur, AL and in Colombo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Decatur, AL and in Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,929 in Decatur, AL versus $805 in Colombo.

Decatur, AL $1,929
Colombo $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,725 in Decatur, AL versus $1,211 in Colombo.

Decatur, AL $2,725
Colombo $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,520 in Decatur, AL versus $1,617 in Colombo.

Decatur, AL $3,520
Colombo $1,617

Living in Decatur, AL is roughly 140% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Decatur, AL is 43% above, Colombo is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.96 $14.96

$3.89 LKR 1,287

284.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.14 $43.14

$24.55 LKR 8,130

75.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.10 $12.10

$7.60 LKR 2,519

59.21%

Cappuccino

$4.40 $4.40

$2.55 LKR 845

72.55%

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

$1.24 $1.24

$0.68 LKR 226

82.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.27 LKR 89.8

485.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.25 LKR 745

127.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 $6.07

$3.08 LKR 1,019

97.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.63 LKR 539

-69.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 $3.14

$0.58 LKR 191

441.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$0.77 LKR 255

153.25%

Eggs

$2.49 $2.49

$1.72 LKR 571

44.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 $8.08

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-42.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.57 $5.57

$4.79 LKR 1,587

16.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 $12.06

$7.41 LKR 2,455

62.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 $2.99

$6.54 LKR 2,168

-54.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.80 LKR 267

125.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 $2.60

$4.28 LKR 1,417

-39.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.29 LKR 427

51.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.00 LKR 331

42.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.77 LKR 256

115.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.62 $2.62

$0.89 LKR 296

194.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.42 LKR 140

414.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.69 $10.69

$10.30 LKR 3,413

3.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.83 $12.83

$12.90 LKR 4,274

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.91 LKR 633

-10.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.93 LKR 969

-44.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 63.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.27 LKR 2,407

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.41 LKR 135

392.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 $1.39

$0.37 LKR 123

275.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.86 $19.86

$0.92 LKR 305

2058.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.34 LKR 445

-26.87%

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

$37.0K $37.0K

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

1.67%

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

$27.3K $27.3K

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

-31.38%

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

$184 $184

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

211.58%

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

$84.8 $84.8

$4.37 LKR 1,446

1840.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.1 $74.1

$20.37 LKR 6,748

263.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.72 LKR 4,545

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.64 LKR 1,868

Cinema Ticket

$15.12 $15.12

$4.46 LKR 1,476

239.01%

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

$1,671 $1,671

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

4262.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K $24.4K

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

1918.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.82 $46.82

$18.16 LKR 6,016

157.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.58 $32.58

$16.76 LKR 5,550

94.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 $81.4

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

3.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

258.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 $1,008

$578 LKR 191.3K

74.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$879 $879

$277 LKR 91.8K

216.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,364 $1,364

$433 LKR 143.4K

214.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,632 $1,632

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

-55.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,657 $1,657

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

41.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 85.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.6

12.69

-47.99%

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

Last update for Decatur, AL: October 13, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Decatur, AL

$879 45.6%

Colombo

$277 34.4% 68.4% $601

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Decatur, AL

$343 17.8%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 75.6% $259

Groceries & Markets

Decatur, AL

$270 14%

Colombo

$236 29.3% 12.7% $34

Eating Out

Decatur, AL

$258 13.4%

Colombo

$106 13.1% 59% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Decatur, AL

$141 7.3%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 50.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Decatur, AL

$30 * 1.6%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 25.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Decatur, AL

$9 * 0.5%

Colombo

$10 1.3% 14.7% $1.3

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 $1,008 in Decatur, AL and $578 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43.00 in Decatur, AL vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $236 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Decatur, AL

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

14:12 2:12 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Decatur, AL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,047

753,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

LKR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Decatur, AL Colombo 15,190 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Decatur, AL
Colombo

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

Decatur, AL vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 140% lower than in Decatur, AL. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,893 in Decatur, AL and $1,208 in Colombo 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: $1,008 in Decatur, AL versus $578 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,671 in Decatur, AL versus $38.30 in Colombo. 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 $25.00 versus $43.00 in Decatur, AL. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $805 in Colombo versus $1,929 in Decatur, AL, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Decatur, AL. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $805 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 140% less than in Decatur, AL. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.