Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Ratnapura

For one person, living costs are similar in Kolonnawa and in Ratnapura: $488 and $477 a month, rent and utilities included.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kolonnawa and in Ratnapura

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

A single person spends $488 per month in Kolonnawa vs $477 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Kolonnawa $488
Ratnapura $477

A couple spends around $794 per month in Kolonnawa vs $765 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Kolonnawa $794
Ratnapura $765

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Kolonnawa vs $1,054 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Ratnapura $1,054

Kolonnawa costs about 2% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kolonnawa and Ratnapura are more affordable than the global median – Kolonnawa 64% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$1.95 LKR 647

98.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,419

$9.22 LKR 3,065

174.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,452

$6.06 LKR 2,013

21.78%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 815

$2.08 LKR 691

17.79%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$0.73 LKR 244

-2.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.44 LKR 146

-43.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$1.93 LKR 642

11.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$2.77 LKR 921

10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 518

$1.84 LKR 612

-15.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$0.79 LKR 263

-32.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$0.66 LKR 219

-12.12%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$1.07 LKR 357

55.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,501

$14.73 LKR 4,896

-28.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$6.39 LKR 2,125

-27.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,432

$15.60 LKR 5,185

-53.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$4.26 LKR 1,417

58.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$0.75 LKR 248

13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$4.14 LKR 1,377

7.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$0.94 LKR 311

40.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.05 LKR 349

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.40 LKR 465

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.46 LKR 154

102.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.43 LKR 144

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,435

$12.86 LKR 4,273

-19.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,488

$12.92 LKR 4,295

-18.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$2.09 LKR 693

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$2.88 LKR 959

-22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$0.34 LKR 115

-52.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.37 LKR 124

8.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.44 LKR 146

-20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$1.00 LKR 331

33.00%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

121.97%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

109.23%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$2.07 LKR 687

102.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,868

$7.41 LKR 2,461

178.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,033

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,545

$2.39 LKR 794

94.56%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,005

$10.48 LKR 3,483

72.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,560

$7.70 LKR 2,560

117.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

-4.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$25.89 LKR 8,606

61.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 LKR 55.3K

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 Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Ratnapura

$258 54.2% 18.8% $41

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Ratnapura

$79 16.5% 23.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 88.8% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 18% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 49.6% $4.6

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8% 41.6% $1.2

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 0%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

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 $9 in Ratnapura. Groceries tell a different story – $217 in Kolonnawa vs $258 in Ratnapura – so Kolonnawa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

52,100

💱 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 Ratnapura 63 km

From you

Kolonnawa
Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolonnawa costs about 2% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kolonnawa and $715 in Ratnapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $488 in Kolonnawa and $477 in Ratnapura. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Kolonnawa – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $488 in Kolonnawa and $477 in Ratnapura, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Kolonnawa has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Ratnapura to $488 in Kolonnawa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.