Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jinan and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Jinan: $641 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Jinan
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Jinan Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Jinan

🇨🇳 China

$641

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Jinan versus $804 in Colombo.

Jinan $641
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,061 in Jinan versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Jinan $1,061
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,481 in Jinan versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Jinan $1,481
Colombo $1,675

Living in Jinan costs roughly 20% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jinan 53% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.17

$3.74 LKR 1,243

-31.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.83 ¥165

$24.72 LKR 8,217

0.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 ¥32.18

$7.60 LKR 2,528

-36.32%

Cappuccino

$2.65 ¥17.66

$2.45 LKR 814

8.16%

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

$0.44 ¥2.93

$0.68 LKR 226

-35.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.78

$2.22 LKR 739

-60.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ¥12.99

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-36.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.65

$1.57 LKR 520

-7.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$0.54 LKR 178

174.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.18

$0.80 LKR 266

53.75%

Eggs

$1.11 ¥7.41

$1.71 LKR 568

-35.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.84 ¥78.8

$13.92 LKR 4,626

-14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.44

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-32.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ¥74.1

$7.46 LKR 2,480

49.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 ¥9.65

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-77.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.72

$0.85 LKR 283

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.11

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-67.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.68

$1.33 LKR 443

-13.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$1.00 LKR 334

-43.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.85

$0.81 LKR 270

-9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.93 LKR 308

-39.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.07

$0.45 LKR 151

35.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 ¥25.53

$10.33 LKR 3,435

-62.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 ¥66.0

$12.87 LKR 4,279

-23.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ¥4.44

$1.93 LKR 642

-65.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$3.00 LKR 999

-56.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.18 LKR 59.3

72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.77 ¥58.4

$5.96 LKR 1,982

47.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.69

$0.40 LKR 134

302.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.35 LKR 116

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 ¥29.17

$0.94 LKR 312

365.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.68

$1.32 LKR 438

-1.52%

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

$19.5K ¥129.5K

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-55.18%

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

$15.1K ¥100.4K

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-61.97%

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

$73.7 ¥490

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

25.23%

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

$6.89 ¥45.86

$4.20 LKR 1,397

64.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.26 ¥35.03

$20.61 LKR 6,853

-74.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.88 ¥159

$19.88 LKR 6,611

20.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 ¥60.0

$5.81 LKR 1,932

55.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ¥34.10

$4.42 LKR 1,469

15.84%

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

$214 ¥1,422

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

460.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K ¥135.0K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

1572.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ¥221

$17.77 LKR 5,907

87.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.51 ¥283

$16.62 LKR 5,525

155.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ¥476

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

-8.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 ¥466

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

65.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 ¥1,679

$586 LKR 194.7K

-56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 ¥971

$275 LKR 91.4K

-46.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 ¥4,073

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

-63.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 ¥2,401

$490 LKR 163.0K

-26.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,470 ¥16.4K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-32.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,307 ¥8,699

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

12.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$962 ¥6,400

$259 LKR 86.0K

271.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

12.69

-75.33%

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

Last update for Jinan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jinan

$187 29.1%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 25.8% $48

Accommodation & Living

Jinan

$146 22.8%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 88.5% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Jinan

$98 15.3%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 29% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jinan

$86 13.4%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 2.5% $2.2

Eating Out

Jinan

$78 12.2%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 32.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Jinan

$34 5.3%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 15.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Jinan

$13 2%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 31.4% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $252 in Jinan and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jinan pays about 3.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Jinan vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $235 per month, with Jinan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jinan

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

2 h 30 min behind Jinan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,202,432

753,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jinan Colombo 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Jinan
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

Jinan vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jinan wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jinan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Jinan is about 3.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $252 in Jinan versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $214 in Jinan versus $38 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Colombo runs roughly 32% less than in Jinan. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $641 in Jinan versus $804 in Colombo, a $800 budget is realistic in Jinan but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Jinan 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.