Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Colombo

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Kandy is 15.7% cheaper than Colombo without rent, and 25% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Kandy is 29.6% cheaper than Colombo without rent, and 29% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.74 LKRĀ 852
$3.98 LKRĀ 1,235
-31.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.56 LKRĀ 3,591
$25.32 LKRĀ 7,867
-54.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.55 LKRĀ 2,036
$8.48 LKRĀ 2,635
-22.76%
Cappuccino
$2.69 LKRĀ 837
$2.73 LKRĀ 847
-1.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 LKRĀ 187
$0.74 LKRĀ 229
-18.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 LKRĀ 99.9
$0.37 LKRĀ 115
-13.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 LKRĀ 659
$2.41 LKRĀ 748
-12.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.44 LKRĀ 1,068
$3.31 LKRĀ 1,029
3.93%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 LKRĀ 433
$1.70 LKRĀ 528
-18.24%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 LKRĀ 175
$0.56 LKRĀ 175
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.85 LKRĀ 265
$0.83 LKRĀ 257
2.41%
Eggs
$2.10 LKRĀ 654
$2.20 LKRĀ 683
-4.55%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.86 LKRĀ 2,754
$14.25 LKRĀ 4,428
-37.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.78 LKRĀ 1,485
$4.70 LKRĀ 1,462
1.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.26 LKRĀ 2,566
$7.87 LKRĀ 2,444
4.96%
Apples (1kg)
$4.49 LKRĀ 1,394
$7.49 LKRĀ 2,327
-40.05%
Banana (1kg)
$0.98 LKRĀ 306
$1.11 LKRĀ 346
-11.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.73 LKRĀ 1,159
$5.85 LKRĀ 1,818
-36.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 LKRĀ 393
$1.22 LKRĀ 378
3.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 LKRĀ 342
$1.10 LKRĀ 341
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.26 LKRĀ 391
$1.43 LKRĀ 445
-11.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.78 LKRĀ 242
$1.14 LKRĀ 355
-31.58%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 LKRĀ 187
$0.60 LKRĀ 188
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.15 LKRĀ 2,842
$10.23 LKRĀ 3,178
-10.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.33 LKRĀ 3,832
$12.67 LKRĀ 3,937
-2.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 LKRĀ 624
$2.09 LKRĀ 649
-3.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 LKRĀ 873
$2.94 LKRĀ 914
-4.42%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 LKRĀ 53.0
$0.19 LKRĀ 59.3
-10.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$14.81 LKRĀ 4,600
$4.94 LKRĀ 1,534
199.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.42 LKRĀ 130
$0.41 LKRĀ 128
2.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 LKRĀ 110
$0.35 LKRĀ 110
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.44 LKRĀ 136
$0.57 LKRĀ 177
-22.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 LKRĀ 377
$1.25 LKRĀ 388
-3.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.7K LKRĀ 5.5M
$26.6K LKRĀ 8.3M
-33.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K LKRĀ 6.5M
$35.4K LKRĀ 11.0M
-40.63%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.14 LKRĀ 12.5K
$59.5 LKRĀ 18.5K
-32.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.23 LKRĀ 1,316
$4.46 LKRĀ 1,386
-5.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.38 LKRĀ 4,780
$15.16 LKRĀ 4,711
1.45%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.11 LKRĀ 4,695
$14.28 LKRĀ 4,436
5.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.60 LKRĀ 1,740
$7.05 LKRĀ 2,191
-20.57%
Cinema Ticket
$3.32 LKRĀ 1,033
$3.38 LKRĀ 1,050
-1.78%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.55 LKRĀ 11.7K
$36.49 LKRĀ 11.3K
2.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$327 LKRĀ 101.7K
$444 LKRĀ 138.1K
-26.32%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.16 LKRĀ 8,439
$27.90 LKRĀ 8,669
-2.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$14.47 LKRĀ 4,496
$19.17 LKRĀ 5,958
-24.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$58.0 LKRĀ 18.0K
$68.8 LKRĀ 21.4K
-15.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.05 LKRĀ 9,026
$38.47 LKRĀ 12.0K
-24.49%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$133 LKRĀ 41.4K
$372 LKRĀ 115.6K
-64.19%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$82.5 LKRĀ 25.6K
$177 LKRĀ 54.9K
-53.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$214 LKRĀ 66.5K
$969 LKRĀ 301.2K
-77.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$164 LKRĀ 51.0K
$360 LKRĀ 111.9K
-54.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$438 LKRĀ 136.1K
$3,705 LKRĀ 1.2M
-88.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$435 LKRĀ 135.3K
$1,248 LKRĀ 387.8K
-65.11%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Kandy
Colombo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$267 LKRĀ 82.9K
$241 LKRĀ 74.8K
10.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
16.45
-8.81%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kandy: March 2, 2026

Last update for Colombo: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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