Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,900 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kolonnawa and in Dubai

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 Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $488 in Kolonnawa versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Kolonnawa $488
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $794 in Kolonnawa versus $4,468 in Dubai.

Kolonnawa $794
Dubai $4,468

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,100 in Kolonnawa versus $6,040 in Dubai.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Dubai $6,040

Living in Kolonnawa costs roughly 83% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kolonnawa is 64% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$12.73 AED 46.74

-69.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,422

$81.5 AED 299

-68.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,453

$9.68 AED 35.55

-23.76%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 816

$5.97 AED 21.93

-58.96%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.66 AED 6.10

-57.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.82 AED 3.00

-69.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$13.38 AED 49.13

-83.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$13.60 AED 49.94

-77.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.81 AED 6.66

-13.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$1.55 AED 5.68

-65.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$2.60 AED 9.57

-77.69%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$3.58 AED 13.16

-53.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,502

$12.12 AED 44.52

-13.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$9.50 AED 34.90

-51.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,433

$13.88 AED 51.0

-47.26%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$2.63 AED 9.67

156.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$1.90 AED 6.97

-55.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$1.85 AED 6.81

139.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$1.50 AED 5.51

-12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.19 AED 4.36

-12.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.01 AED 3.70

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.66 AED 6.10

-43.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.62 AED 2.27

-30.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,436

$6.11 AED 22.42

69.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,489

$16.08 AED 59.1

-34.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$2.71 AED 9.95

-34.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$3.02 AED 11.10

-26.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$1.47 AED 5.39

-89.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 AED 246

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$3.35 AED 12.31

-88.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.68 AED 2.48

-48.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$8.24 AED 30.24

-88.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$0.92 AED 3.40

44.57%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$26.0K AED 95.5K

68.71%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$21.5K AED 79.0K

91.06%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

$248 AED 910

-75.95%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$56.2 AED 206

-92.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$93.8 AED 344

-77.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$16.58 AED 60.9

-71.95%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

$949 AED 3,486

-96.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

$17.1K AED 62.8K

-93.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,007

$70.5 AED 259

-74.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,562

$61.7 AED 227

-72.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$101 AED 370

-20.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$114 AED 419

-63.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,216 AED 26.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,383 AED 16.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 AED 13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

4.54

179.52%

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

Last update for Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Dubai

$295 10.2% 35.5% $77

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Dubai

$307 10.6% 197% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Dubai

$398 13.7% 371% $313

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Dubai

$156 5.4% 122% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Dubai

$124 4.3% 1236% $115

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Dubai

$80 2.8% 2753% $77

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 0%

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Kolonnawa vs $81 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $295 per month, with Kolonnawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

01:01 1:01 AM

1 h 30 min behind Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kolonnawa Dubai 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Kolonnawa
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolonnawa is about 83% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $732 in Kolonnawa and $4,343 in Dubai 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $488 per month in Kolonnawa versus $2,896 in Dubai – Kolonnawa is about 83% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $488 in Kolonnawa versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kolonnawa but tight or insufficient in Dubai. 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.

Safety-wise, Kolonnawa and Dubai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.