Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $513 in Kandy versus $804 in Colombo.

Kandy $513
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Kandy versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Kandy $728
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $943 in Kandy versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Kandy $943
Colombo $1,675

Living in Kandy costs roughly 36% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kandy 62% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$3.74 LKR 1,243

-28.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,324

$24.72 LKR 8,217

-47.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,996

$7.60 LKR 2,528

-21.05%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$2.45 LKR 814

-22.45%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.68 LKR 226

-23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.1

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 620

$2.22 LKR 739

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-8.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$1.57 LKR 520

-26.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.54 LKR 178

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.80 LKR 266

-3.75%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,708

$13.92 LKR 4,626

-63.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-11.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,285

$7.46 LKR 2,480

-7.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-50.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$0.85 LKR 283

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-59.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$1.33 LKR 443

-3.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.00 LKR 334

2.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$0.81 LKR 270

2.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.93 LKR 308

-53.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.45 LKR 151

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,668

$10.33 LKR 3,435

-22.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,751

$12.87 LKR 4,279

-12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.93 LKR 642

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$3.00 LKR 999

-30.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$0.18 LKR 59.3

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,457

$5.96 LKR 1,982

-26.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.40 LKR 134

2.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

$0.94 LKR 312

-50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$1.32 LKR 438

-12.88%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-67.81%

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-7.41%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

0.27%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$4.20 LKR 1,397

-8.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,227

$20.61 LKR 6,853

-38.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,606

$19.88 LKR 6,611

-45.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,262

$5.81 LKR 1,932

17.04%

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$4.42 LKR 1,469

-38.01%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,199

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

-43.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 101.0K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

-74.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,078

$17.77 LKR 5,907

2.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

$16.62 LKR 5,525

-38.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

-12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,831

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

-37.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$586 LKR 194.7K

-70.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$275 LKR 91.4K

-58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

-89.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$490 LKR 163.0K

-80.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-89.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

-65.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$259 LKR 86.0K

1.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

-5.44%

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

Last update for Kandy: 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

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 41.7% $69

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 144% $162

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 28.6% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 10.7% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 25.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 76% $12

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 23.2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $172 in Kandy and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $13 in Kandy vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $235 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

Same time as Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

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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Between locations

Kandy Colombo 95 km

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Kandy
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

Kandy vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kandy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $770 in Kandy 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $172 in Kandy versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 42% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kandy – a meal for two runs $13 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kandy gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kandy delivers better value at $513 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kandy hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.