Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kolonnawa versus $804 in Colombo.

Kolonnawa $488
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $794 in Kolonnawa versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Kolonnawa $794
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,100 in Kolonnawa versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Colombo $1,675

Living in Kolonnawa costs roughly 39% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kolonnawa 64% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$3.74 LKR 1,243

3.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,422

$24.72 LKR 8,217

2.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,453

$7.60 LKR 2,528

-2.89%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 816

$2.45 LKR 814

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$0.68 LKR 226

4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$2.22 LKR 739

-2.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.57 LKR 520

-0.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$0.54 LKR 178

-1.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$0.80 LKR 266

-27.50%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$1.71 LKR 568

-2.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,502

$13.92 LKR 4,626

-24.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,433

$7.46 LKR 2,480

-1.88%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$6.40 LKR 2,126

5.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$0.85 LKR 283

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$4.26 LKR 1,416

3.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$1.33 LKR 443

-0.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.00 LKR 334

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.81 LKR 270

-4.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.45 LKR 151

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,436

$10.33 LKR 3,435

0.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,489

$12.87 LKR 4,279

-18.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$1.93 LKR 642

-8.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$3.00 LKR 999

-26.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$0.18 LKR 59.3

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.94 LKR 312

-1.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$1.32 LKR 438

0.76%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

1.02%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

3.60%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

1.24%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$20.61 LKR 6,853

0.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 LKR 6,611

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$4.42 LKR 1,469

5.20%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

-2.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

-2.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,007

$17.77 LKR 5,907

1.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,562

$16.62 LKR 5,525

0.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

3.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

-1.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 LKR 194.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 LKR 91.4K

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 Kolonnawa: 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

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 8.1% $18

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 0.9% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 1.4% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 209% $19

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 217% $6

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 0%

Colombo

$275 34.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Kolonnawa vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $235 per month, with Kolonnawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

Same time as Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

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

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Between locations

Kolonnawa Colombo 4 km

From you

Kolonnawa
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

Kolonnawa vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolonnawa wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kolonnawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $732 in Kolonnawa 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.

All in, you’ll spend $488 per month in Kolonnawa versus $804 in Colombo – Kolonnawa is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $488 in Kolonnawa versus $804 in Colombo, a $800 budget is realistic in Kolonnawa but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Kolonnawa 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.