Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Kolonnawa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $488 in Kolonnawa.

Dubai $2,896
Kolonnawa $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $794 in Kolonnawa.

Dubai $4,468
Kolonnawa $794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $1,100 in Kolonnawa.

Dubai $6,040
Kolonnawa $1,100

Living in Dubai is roughly 494% more expensive than in Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Kolonnawa is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$3.87 LKR 1,285

228.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$25.33 LKR 8,422

221.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$7.38 LKR 2,453

31.17%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.45 LKR 816

143.67%

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

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.71 LKR 236

133.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.25 LKR 82.6

228.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

$2.16 LKR 718

519.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

$3.06 LKR 1,018

344.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$1.56 LKR 519

16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$0.53 LKR 178

192.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$0.58 LKR 192

348.28%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$1.66 LKR 551

115.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$10.53 LKR 3,502

15.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$4.63 LKR 1,539

105.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$7.32 LKR 2,433

89.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-61.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$0.85 LKR 281

123.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$4.43 LKR 1,472

-58.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$1.32 LKR 439

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.04 LKR 347

14.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$0.77 LKR 255

31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.93 LKR 308

78.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$0.43 LKR 142

44.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-40.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

$10.50 LKR 3,489

53.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$1.77 LKR 588

53.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

$2.22 LKR 738

36.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$0.16 LKR 53.2

818.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 AED 246

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 AED 12.31

$0.40 LKR 134

737.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$0.35 LKR 116

94.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$0.93 LKR 308

786.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.33 LKR 442

-30.83%

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

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

-40.73%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

-47.66%

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

$248 AED 910

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

315.78%

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

$56.2 AED 206

$4.20 LKR 1,397

1237.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$20.66 LKR 6,870

353.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$4.65 LKR 1,546

256.56%

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

$949 AED 3,486

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

2441.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

1340.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$18.07 LKR 6,007

290.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$16.73 LKR 5,562

268.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

25.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

173.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,216 AED 26.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,383 AED 16.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 AED 13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

12.69

-64.22%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 78.8% $313

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 66.3% $203

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 26.2% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 54.9% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 92.5% $115

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 96.5% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $81 in Dubai vs $25 in Kolonnawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $217 per month, with Kolonnawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

64,800

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Kolonnawa 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Kolonnawa

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

Dubai vs Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolonnawa is about 83% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,343 in Dubai and $732 in Kolonnawa 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $488 in Kolonnawa – Kolonnawa is about 83% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $488 in Kolonnawa versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kolonnawa but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Kolonnawa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Kolonnawa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.