Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Colombo

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,291 in Lisbon versus $718 in Colombo.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,322 in Lisbon versus $1,153 in Colombo.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,354 in Lisbon versus $1,588 in Colombo.

Living in Lisbon is roughly 219% more expensive than in Colombo, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 71% above, Colombo is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.19 €14.18

$4.07 LKR 1,366

297.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 €55.5

$25.28 LKR 8,494

150.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 €9.04

$8.60 LKR 2,891

20.00%

Cappuccino

$2.83 €2.48

$2.71 LKR 909

4.43%

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

$2.29 €2.01

$0.69 LKR 232

231.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.38

$0.40 LKR 136

295.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €2.98

$2.27 LKR 764

49.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.53

$3.27 LKR 1,099

23.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.96

$1.70 LKR 571

-35.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.53

$0.55 LKR 185

218.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$0.88 LKR 295

100.00%

Eggs

$3.17 €2.77

$2.14 LKR 721

48.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.19 €11.56

$13.88 LKR 4,663

-4.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.97 €6.98

$4.78 LKR 1,606

66.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.53 €13.60

$8.09 LKR 2,717

91.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.07

$7.65 LKR 2,571

-69.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.49

$1.07 LKR 359

59.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 €1.76

$5.84 LKR 1,964

-65.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.13

$1.25 LKR 421

94.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.54

$1.14 LKR 384

54.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.36 LKR 458

49.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 €1.68

$1.20 LKR 403

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.74

$0.56 LKR 190

51.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.76

$9.99 LKR 3,358

-34.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 €4.89

$12.70 LKR 4,267

-56.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.17

$2.09 LKR 702

-36.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 €2.60

$2.90 LKR 974

2.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €1.99

$0.16 LKR 54.7

1325.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.79 €40.10

$4.93 LKR 1,657

828.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.23 €3.70

$0.38 LKR 129

1013.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.71

$0.35 LKR 119

131.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.44 €16.15

$0.62 LKR 207

2874.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.82

$1.19 LKR 401

74.79%

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

$34.7K €30.4K

$27.2K LKR 9.1M

27.54%

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

$39.2K €34.3K

$34.3K LKR 11.5M

14.27%

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

$148 €130

$59.6 LKR 20.0K

148.41%

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

$20.46 €17.92

$4.30 LKR 1,444

375.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.56 €34.64

$15.37 LKR 5,166

157.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.99 €42.03

$14.83 LKR 4,984

223.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.60 €16.29

$7.39 LKR 2,485

151.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.08

$3.28 LKR 1,104

181.10%

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

$616 €540

$36.45 LKR 12.2K

1590.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.4K

$442 LKR 148.5K

3620.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €90.0

$27.73 LKR 9,320

270.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.74 €36.55

$19.12 LKR 6,426

118.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 €83.0

$69.2 LKR 23.2K

37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €107

$39.30 LKR 13.2K

210.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,633 €1,430

$368 LKR 123.6K

343.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 €1,079

$173 LKR 58.0K

613.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,098 €2,713

$971 LKR 326.2K

219.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 €1,779

$369 LKR 124.0K

450.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,831 €6,858

$3,586 LKR 1.2M

118.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 €3,844

$1,156 LKR 388.5K

279.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,607 €1,408

$251 LKR 84.2K

541.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

16.45

-76.84%

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

Last update for Lisbon: July 14, 2026

Last update for Colombo: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,633 in Lisbon and $368 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 541% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $258 per month, with Colombo cheaper across the board.

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

Lisbon vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 219% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 541% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,633 in Lisbon versus $368 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $63.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $718 in Colombo versus $2,291 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Colombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Colombo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $718 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Colombo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 219% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.