Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalutara and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $608 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
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Kalutara Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Kalutara versus $804 in Colombo.

Kalutara $608
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $888 in Kalutara versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Kalutara $888
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,168 in Kalutara versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Kalutara $1,168
Colombo $1,675

Living in Kalutara costs roughly 24% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kalutara 55% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 LKR 1,303

$3.74 LKR 1,243

4.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.40 LKR 8,112

$24.72 LKR 8,217

-1.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 LKR 2,566

$7.60 LKR 2,528

1.58%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 823

$2.45 LKR 814

0.82%

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

$0.69 LKR 228

$0.68 LKR 226

1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.7

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 710

$2.22 LKR 739

-3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 994

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-2.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 520

$1.57 LKR 520

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$0.54 LKR 178

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$0.80 LKR 266

1.25%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 561

$1.71 LKR 568

-1.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 LKR 4,649

$13.92 LKR 4,626

0.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 LKR 1,638

$4.78 LKR 1,590

3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 LKR 2,484

$7.46 LKR 2,480

0.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.52 LKR 2,167

$6.40 LKR 2,126

1.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$0.85 LKR 283

2.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 LKR 1,475

$4.26 LKR 1,416

4.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 441

$1.33 LKR 443

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 346

$1.00 LKR 334

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$0.81 LKR 270

2.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$0.93 LKR 308

-4.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.45 LKR 151

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 LKR 3,368

$10.33 LKR 3,435

-1.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 LKR 4,246

$12.87 LKR 4,279

-0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 627

$1.93 LKR 642

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 993

$3.00 LKR 999

-0.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 LKR 41.31

$0.18 LKR 59.3

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.12 LKR 3,031

$5.96 LKR 1,982

53.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.40 LKR 134

-5.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 LKR 61.2

$0.35 LKR 116

-48.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 LKR 285

$0.94 LKR 312

-8.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 438

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

$44.1K LKR 14.7M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

1.56%

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

$40.0K LKR 13.3M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

0.75%

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

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

-0.88%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,396

$4.20 LKR 1,397

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.29 LKR 6,747

$20.61 LKR 6,853

-1.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.14 LKR 3,040

$19.88 LKR 6,611

-54.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,489

$4.42 LKR 1,469

1.36%

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

$37.10 LKR 12.3K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

-2.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,220 LKR 405.6K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

0.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.31 LKR 6,088

$17.77 LKR 5,907

3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.57 LKR 5,510

$16.62 LKR 5,525

-0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

-0.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.30 LKR 14.1K

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.6 LKR 28.4K

$275 LKR 91.4K

-68.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 LKR 163.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$259 LKR 86.0K

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 Kalutara: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kalutara

$237 38.9%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Kalutara

$105 17.2%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 1.4% $1.4

Accommodation & Living

Kalutara

$86 14.1%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 221% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalutara

$83 13.6%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 1% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kalutara

$70 11.5%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 0.3% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kalutara

$18 3%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 58.7% $11

Getting Around

Kalutara

$11 1.8%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 19.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24 in Kalutara vs $25 in Colombo. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $235, with Colombo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

Same time as Kalutara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,600

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kalutara Colombo 41 km

From you

Kalutara
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

Kalutara vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalutara wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalutara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $913 in Kalutara and $1,206 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.

Childcare runs $37 in Kalutara versus $38 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $608 in Kalutara versus $804 in Colombo, a $800 budget is realistic in Kalutara but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Kalutara 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.