Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nova Friburgo and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Nova Friburgo: $611 a month against $805 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Colombo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

30

Cost of Living Index in Nova Friburgo
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Nova Friburgo Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Nova Friburgo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $611 in Nova Friburgo versus $805 in Colombo.

Nova Friburgo $611
Colombo $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,026 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,211 in Colombo.

Nova Friburgo $1,026
Colombo $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,440 in Nova Friburgo versus $1,617 in Colombo.

Nova Friburgo $1,440
Colombo $1,617

Living in Nova Friburgo costs roughly 24% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nova Friburgo 55% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.87 R$29.75

$3.89 LKR 1,287

50.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.15 R$153

$24.55 LKR 8,130

22.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 R$32.35

$7.60 LKR 2,519

-16.05%

Cappuccino

$1.76 R$8.93

$2.55 LKR 845

-30.98%

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

$0.88 R$4.46

$0.68 LKR 226

29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$2.92

$0.27 LKR 89.8

114.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 R$6.01

$2.25 LKR 745

-47.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R$12.43

$3.08 LKR 1,019

-20.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.63 LKR 539

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 R$7.66

$0.58 LKR 191

160.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.01

$0.77 LKR 255

79.22%

Eggs

$1.94 R$9.85

$1.72 LKR 571

12.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 R$46.69

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-34.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 R$17.33

$4.79 LKR 1,587

-28.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.52 R$48.28

$7.41 LKR 2,455

28.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.23

$6.54 LKR 2,168

-75.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$0.80 LKR 267

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R$4.70

$4.28 LKR 1,417

-78.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.29 LKR 427

-0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 R$3.29

$1.00 LKR 331

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.09

$0.77 LKR 256

5.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 R$2.85

$0.89 LKR 296

-37.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.42 LKR 140

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.58 R$8.02

$10.30 LKR 3,413

-84.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R$30.75

$12.90 LKR 4,274

-52.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.91 LKR 633

-47.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 R$7.19

$2.93 LKR 969

-51.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 R$4.88

$0.19 LKR 63.9

405.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.27 LKR 2,407

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.18

$0.41 LKR 135

197.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R$2.82

$0.37 LKR 123

51.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.87 R$34.80

$0.92 LKR 305

646.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.34 LKR 445

-6.72%

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

$20.0K R$101.3K

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

-45.06%

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

$31.0K R$157.2K

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

-22.05%

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

$41.63 R$211

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

-29.40%

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

$9.54 R$48.34

$4.37 LKR 1,446

118.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.74 R$95.0

$20.37 LKR 6,748

-8.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.35 R$113

$13.72 LKR 4,545

62.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.64 LKR 1,868

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 R$34.30

$4.46 LKR 1,476

51.79%

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

$147 R$746

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

284.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,693 R$13.6K

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

122.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 R$361

$18.16 LKR 6,016

291.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.5 R$428

$16.76 LKR 5,550

404.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.1 R$345

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

-13.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.77 R$242

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

12.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$161 R$818

$578 LKR 191.3K

-72.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.3 R$503

$277 LKR 91.8K

-64.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R$2,007

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

-73.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 R$1,234

$433 LKR 143.4K

-43.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,604 R$8,133

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

-56.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$810 R$4,104

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

-30.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$521 R$2,640

$259 LKR 85.9K

100.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

12.69

-15.92%

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

Last update for Nova Friburgo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nova Friburgo

$172 28.1%

Colombo

$236 29.3% 37.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Nova Friburgo

$122 20%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 42.6% $52

Eating Out

Nova Friburgo

$104 17%

Colombo

$106 13.1% 1.8% $1.8

Accommodation & Living

Nova Friburgo

$99 16.3%

Colombo

$277 34.4% 179% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nova Friburgo

$70 11.5%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 19.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Nova Friburgo

$36 5.9%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 36.9% $13

Getting Around

Nova Friburgo

$7.9 * 1.3%

Colombo

$10 1.3% 31.2% $2.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $161 in Nova Friburgo and $578 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nova Friburgo pays 101% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $30.00 in Nova Friburgo vs $25.00 in Colombo. Groceries flip the comparison at $172 vs $236, with Nova Friburgo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Nova Friburgo

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

14:47 2:47 PM

8 h 30 min ahead of Nova Friburgo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,939

753,000

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nova Friburgo Colombo 13,620 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nova Friburgo
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

Nova Friburgo vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nova Friburgo wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nova Friburgo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 101% higher in Nova Friburgo, 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: $161 in Nova Friburgo versus $578 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $147 in Nova Friburgo versus $38.30 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nova Friburgo – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $25.00 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $611 in Nova Friburgo versus $805 in Colombo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nova Friburgo but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Nova Friburgo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nova Friburgo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $611 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nova Friburgo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Nova Friburgo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.