Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $611 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cairo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Kolonnawa, Sri Lanka
Cairo, Egypt
Kolonnawa
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$488
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$611
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kolonnawa and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kolonnawa vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Kolonnawa $488
  • Cairo $611

A couple spends around $794 per month in Kolonnawa vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Kolonnawa $794
  • Cairo $970

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Kolonnawa vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Kolonnawa $1,100
  • Cairo $1,329

Kolonnawa is about 20% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kolonnawa and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Kolonnawa 64% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.87 LKR 1,285
$4.51 E£253
-14.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.33 LKR 8,422
$27.00 E£1,514
-6.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.38 LKR 2,453
$5.34 E£300
38.20%
Cappuccino
$2.45 LKR 816
$1.72 E£96.2
42.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 LKR 236
$0.34 E£19.10
108.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 LKR 82.6
$0.14 E£8.10
78.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 LKR 718
$1.39 E£78.0
55.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 LKR 1,018
$2.15 E£121
42.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 LKR 519
$0.87 E£48.67
79.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 LKR 178
$0.76 E£42.55
-30.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.58 LKR 192
$0.63 E£35.18
-7.94%
Eggs
$1.66 LKR 551
$1.09 E£61.0
52.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.53 LKR 3,502
$3.74 E£210
181.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.63 LKR 1,539
$4.61 E£259
0.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.32 LKR 2,433
$8.42 E£472
-13.06%
Apples (1kg)
$6.75 LKR 2,243
$1.69 E£94.6
299.41%
Banana (1kg)
$0.85 LKR 281
$0.68 E£38.27
25.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.43 LKR 1,472
$0.56 E£31.19
691.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 LKR 439
$0.47 E£26.22
180.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 LKR 347
$0.38 E£21.57
173.68%
Onion (1kg)
$0.77 LKR 255
$0.39 E£21.86
97.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.93 LKR 308
$0.33 E£18.77
181.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 142
$0.22 E£12.35
95.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.34 LKR 3,436
$1.85 E£104
458.92%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.50 LKR 3,489
$7.24 E£406
45.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 LKR 588
$1.42 E£79.5
24.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 LKR 738
$1.98 E£111
12.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 LKR 53.2
$0.31 E£17.35
-48.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$7.17 E£402
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 LKR 134
$0.35 E£19.51
14.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 LKR 116
$0.19 E£10.89
84.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 LKR 308
$1.46 E£81.6
-36.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 LKR 442
$0.40 E£22.40
232.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$43.9K LKR 14.6M
$32.3K E£1.8M
35.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K LKR 13.7M
$24.9K E£1.4M
65.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$59.6 LKR 19.8K
$26.70 E£1,497
123.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.20 LKR 1,397
$7.51 E£421
-44.07%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.66 LKR 6,870
$14.02 E£786
47.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$27.01 E£1,514
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$7.15 E£401
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.65 LKR 1,546
$4.41 E£248
5.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.35 LKR 12.4K
$117 E£6,538
-67.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,188 LKR 394.9K
$3,269 E£183.3K
-63.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.07 LKR 6,007
$37.71 E£2,114
-52.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.73 LKR 5,562
$47.61 E£2,670
-64.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.1 LKR 26.6K
$109 E£6,121
-26.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.69 LKR 13.9K
$55.6 E£3,119
-25.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$203 E£11.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$188 E£10.5K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$524 E£29.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$318 E£17.8K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$793 E£44.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$484 E£27.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kolonnawa
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$185 E£10.4K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
16.21
-21.71%

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

Last update for Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Kolonnawa
$217
Cairo
$131 39.7% $86
Eating Out
Kolonnawa
$103
Cairo
$86 16.8% $17
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kolonnawa
$84
Cairo
$48 42.9% $36
Clothing & Footwear
Kolonnawa
$70
Cairo
$113 59.7% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Kolonnawa
$9.3 *
Cairo
$36 285% $27
Getting Around
Kolonnawa
$2.8 *
Cairo
$9.7 249% $6.9
Accommodation & Living
Kolonnawa
- *
Cairo
$188

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kolonnawa versus $27 in Cairo. Groceries tell a different story – $217 in Kolonnawa vs $131 in Cairo – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Kolonnawa
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
00:04 12:04 AM
21:34 9:34 PM
2 h 30 min behind Kolonnawa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
64,800
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.42 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kolonnawa Cairo 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kolonnawa
  • Cairo

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
Kolonnawa vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kolonnawa cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kolonnawa and $917 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Kolonnawa and in Cairo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $488 in Kolonnawa and $611 in Cairo. That’s a gap of about 25%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $37 per month in Kolonnawa and $117 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 enough for either Kolonnawa or Cairo?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $488 in Kolonnawa and $611 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Kolonnawa or in Cairo?
It depends on your priorities. Kolonnawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $488 in Kolonnawa to $611 in Cairo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Kolonnawa vs other spots: cost of living compared

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