Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polonnaruwa and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $510 a month against $811 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $510 in Polonnaruwa versus $811 in Colombo.

Polonnaruwa $510
Colombo $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $829 in Polonnaruwa versus $1,298 in Colombo.

Polonnaruwa $829
Colombo $1,298

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,148 in Polonnaruwa versus $1,785 in Colombo.

Polonnaruwa $1,148
Colombo $1,785

Living in Polonnaruwa costs roughly 37% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Polonnaruwa 62% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,294

$3.92 LKR 1,304

-0.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.28 LKR 8,410

$24.58 LKR 8,177

2.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.32 LKR 2,435

$7.39 LKR 2,458

-0.95%

Cappuccino

$2.56 LKR 850

$2.44 LKR 813

4.92%

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

$0.69 LKR 228

$0.67 LKR 222

2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$0.25 LKR 83.1

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 721

$2.14 LKR 710

1.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 990

$3.03 LKR 1,007

-1.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$1.58 LKR 525

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.53 LKR 176

1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$0.81 LKR 270

Eggs

$1.70 LKR 567

$1.62 LKR 539

4.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 LKR 5,069

$15.14 LKR 5,035

0.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 LKR 1,639

$5.12 LKR 1,701

-3.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.66 LKR 2,547

Apples (1kg)

$6.48 LKR 2,156

$6.62 LKR 2,201

-2.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$0.88 LKR 293

-7.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,414

$4.15 LKR 1,382

2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 423

$1.28 LKR 425

-0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 345

$1.04 LKR 347

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.82 LKR 271

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 LKR 419

$1.21 LKR 404

4.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

$0.45 LKR 150

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 LKR 3,358

$10.04 LKR 3,338

0.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.57 LKR 4,513

$13.69 LKR 4,555

-0.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 622

$1.93 LKR 643

-3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 990

$2.97 LKR 987

0.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 58.8

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.37 LKR 123

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 102

$0.34 LKR 112

-8.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 LKR 285

$0.89 LKR 296

-3.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 439

$1.32 LKR 440

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

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

2.01%

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

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

0.98%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

0.52%

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

$4.27 LKR 1,419

$4.28 LKR 1,424

-0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 LKR 6,772

$20.66 LKR 6,872

-1.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.37 LKR 6,775

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.14 LKR 2,043

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,532

$4.63 LKR 1,541

-0.65%

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

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

-1.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

-0.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.01 LKR 5,989

$18.12 LKR 6,027

-0.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.32 LKR 5,761

$17.34 LKR 5,768

-0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

1.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

-0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 LKR 187.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 LKR 90.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 LKR 191.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

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

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5%

Colombo

$244 30.1% 0.8% $1.8

Eating Out

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5%

Colombo

$103 12.7% 1.1% $1.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2%

Colombo

$83 10.2% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8%

Colombo

$30 3.7% 222% $20

Getting Around

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4%

Colombo

$11 1.3% 474% $9

Accommodation & Living

Polonnaruwa

- * 0%

Colombo

$271 33.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Polonnaruwa vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $244 per month, with Polonnaruwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

Same time as Polonnaruwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Polonnaruwa Colombo 170 km

From you

Polonnaruwa
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

Polonnaruwa vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polonnaruwa wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Polonnaruwa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $765 in Polonnaruwa and $1,217 in Colombo 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.

Childcare runs $40 in Polonnaruwa versus $41 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $510 per month in Polonnaruwa versus $811 in Colombo – Polonnaruwa is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $510 in Polonnaruwa versus $811 in Colombo, a $800 budget is realistic in Polonnaruwa but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Polonnaruwa 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.