Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $898 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pasay outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$898

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $898 in Pasay versus $804 in Colombo.

Pasay $898
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,224 in Pasay versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Pasay $1,224
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,551 in Pasay versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Pasay $1,551
Colombo $1,675

Living in Pasay is roughly 12% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasay 34% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ₱281

$3.74 LKR 1,243

17.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.79 ₱1,201

$24.72 LKR 8,217

-23.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱179

$7.60 LKR 2,528

-63.29%

Cappuccino

$2.12 ₱135

$2.45 LKR 814

-13.47%

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

$0.59 ₱37.47

$0.68 LKR 226

-13.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.30

$0.27 LKR 89.8

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ₱73.7

$2.22 LKR 739

-48.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱98.3

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-49.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 ₱104

$1.57 LKR 520

3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱74.3

$0.54 LKR 178

114.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱65.3

$0.80 LKR 266

27.50%

Eggs

$1.83 ₱117

$1.71 LKR 568

7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.97 ₱317

$13.92 LKR 4,626

-64.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 ₱270

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-11.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.83 ₱437

$7.46 LKR 2,480

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 ₱140

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-65.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱99.8

$0.85 LKR 283

83.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱149

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-45.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ₱70.8

$1.33 LKR 443

-16.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 ₱149

$1.00 LKR 334

133.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 ₱209

$0.81 LKR 270

303.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ₱78.4

$0.93 LKR 308

32.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ₱54.3

$0.45 LKR 151

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 ₱189

$10.33 LKR 3,435

-71.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ₱483

$12.87 LKR 4,279

-41.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₱56.3

$1.93 LKR 642

-54.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱110

$3.00 LKR 999

-42.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.50

$0.18 LKR 59.3

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.96 LKR 1,982

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.3

$0.40 LKR 134

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.40

$0.35 LKR 116

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₱121

$0.94 LKR 312

101.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ₱78.6

$1.32 LKR 438

-6.82%

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

$20.6K ₱1.3M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-52.53%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-51.52%

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

$139 ₱8,890

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

136.45%

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

$14.40 ₱920

$4.20 LKR 1,397

242.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.03 ₱1,535

$20.61 LKR 6,853

16.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 ₱3,019

$19.88 LKR 6,611

137.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.81 LKR 1,932

Cinema Ticket

$4.99 ₱319

$4.42 LKR 1,469

12.90%

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

$70.6 ₱4,511

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

85.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,430 ₱155.3K

$1,214 LKR 403.5K

100.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.90 ₱2,230

$17.77 LKR 5,907

96.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.11 ₱1,221

$16.62 LKR 5,525

14.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₱4,487

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.5 ₱3,996

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

48.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ₱27.3K

$586 LKR 194.7K

-27.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱20.0K

$275 LKR 91.4K

13.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$828 ₱52.9K

$1,677 LKR 557.5K

-50.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₱23.4K

$490 LKR 163.0K

-25.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,864 ₱119.1K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-48.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$567 ₱36.2K

$1,158 LKR 385.0K

-51.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₱32.7K

$259 LKR 86.0K

97.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

-44.84%

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

Last update for Pasay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$312 34.8%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 11.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$183 20.4%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 28.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.8%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 52.9% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$84 9.4%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 17.3% $15

Eating Out

Pasay

$81 9.1%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 26.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$57 6.4%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 49.8% $29

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.6 * 0.3%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 236% $6.2

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 $427 in Pasay and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays 98% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Pasay vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $235 per month, with Pasay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

01:45 1:45 AM

2 h 30 min behind Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

753,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pasay Colombo 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasay
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

Pasay vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Pasay. 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 98% higher in Pasay, 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: $427 in Pasay versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $71 in Pasay versus $38 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pasay – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Pasay on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.