Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $487 a month against $803 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and in Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $803 in Colombo.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487
Colombo $803

Estimated couple costs with rent: $790 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $1,208 in Colombo.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790
Colombo $1,208

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,093 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $1,614 in Colombo.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093
Colombo $1,614

Living in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia costs roughly 39% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 64% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.49 LKR 494

$3.77 LKR 1,250

-60.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.02 LKR 8,286

$25.25 LKR 8,362

-0.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,481

$7.61 LKR 2,519

-1.58%

Cappuccino

$2.54 LKR 840

$2.58 LKR 856

-1.55%

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

$0.73 LKR 240

$0.68 LKR 225

7.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.3

$0.25 LKR 82.6

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 736

$2.26 LKR 748

-1.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 993

$3.00 LKR 995

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 537

$1.63 LKR 541

-0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$0.57 LKR 187

-7.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$0.79 LKR 263

2.53%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 546

$1.70 LKR 563

-2.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 LKR 4,614

$13.65 LKR 4,522

2.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 LKR 1,606

$4.84 LKR 1,604

0.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.54 LKR 2,496

$7.62 LKR 2,525

-1.05%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 LKR 2,125

$6.51 LKR 2,156

-1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$0.85 LKR 283

2.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 LKR 1,448

$4.49 LKR 1,487

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 426

$1.34 LKR 443

-3.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 332

$0.99 LKR 329

1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 259

$0.82 LKR 271

-4.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$0.92 LKR 305

-4.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 149

$0.45 LKR 150

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 LKR 3,439

$10.17 LKR 3,370

2.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 LKR 4,317

$12.69 LKR 4,204

2.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 626

$1.87 LKR 621

1.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 994

$2.94 LKR 973

2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 LKR 57.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.01 LKR 2,322

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.38 LKR 124

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.37 LKR 124

-5.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$0.93 LKR 308

-3.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 457

$1.37 LKR 454

0.73%

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

$43.0K LKR 14.2M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-1.03%

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

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-2.02%

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

$58.3 LKR 19.3K

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

-2.52%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,418

$4.36 LKR 1,444

-1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 LKR 6,888

$20.96 LKR 6,942

-0.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 LKR 4,710

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 LKR 1,870

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,519

$4.60 LKR 1,525

-0.22%

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

$38.36 LKR 12.7K

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

3.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,206 LKR 399.5K

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

-1.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,116

$18.18 LKR 6,020

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 LKR 5,474

$16.85 LKR 5,580

-1.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

1.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.38 LKR 14.0K

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

1.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 LKR 187.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 LKR 152.2K

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

-69.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 LKR 140.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 71.4K

$253 LKR 83.9K

-14.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$236 48.5%

Colombo

$237 29.5% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$86 17.7%

Colombo

$105 13.1% 22.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$83 17.1%

Colombo

$85 10.6% 2.1% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$70 14.4%

Colombo

$69 8.7% 1% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$9.2 * 1.9%

Colombo

$23 2.9% 156% $14

Getting Around

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$2.1 * 0.4%

Colombo

$10 1.2% 370% $7.8

Accommodation & Living

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

- * 0%

Colombo

$274 34.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Colombo pays 18% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $237 per month, with Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

Same time as Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,827

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Colombo 11 km

From you

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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.

Childcare runs $38.36 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $37.19 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $803 in Colombo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $487 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Colombo 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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.