Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Colombo

🙂 Solo nomad: Recife is 0.2% cheaper than Colombo without rent, and 9.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Recife is 4.9% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 13.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.07 R$26.61
$3.98 LKR 1,230
27.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.43 R$144
$25.32 LKR 7,830
8.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.65 R$34.91
$8.48 LKR 2,623
-21.58%
Cappuccino
$1.76 R$9.22
$2.73 LKR 843
-35.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 R$4.64
$0.74 LKR 228
18.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 R$2.78
$0.37 LKR 115
43.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.40 R$7.34
$2.41 LKR 745
-41.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 R$15.46
$3.31 LKR 1,024
-11.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R$6.02
$1.70 LKR 526
-32.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.39 R$7.29
$0.56 LKR 174
148.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.70
$0.83 LKR 256
54.22%
Eggs
$2.31 R$12.12
$2.20 LKR 680
5.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.13 R$37.45
$14.25 LKR 4,407
-49.96%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.52 R$18.46
$4.70 LKR 1,455
-25.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.81 R$35.76
$7.87 LKR 2,432
-13.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 R$11.70
$7.49 LKR 2,317
-70.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 R$6.74
$1.11 LKR 344
15.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.12 R$5.89
$5.85 LKR 1,810
-80.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 R$8.37
$1.22 LKR 376
30.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.27 R$6.69
$1.10 LKR 339
15.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 R$5.44
$1.43 LKR 443
-27.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.50 R$2.65
$1.14 LKR 354
-56.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 R$3.93
$0.60 LKR 187
25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.60 R$8.41
$10.23 LKR 3,163
-84.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.88 R$41.39
$12.67 LKR 3,918
-37.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.20 R$6.31
$2.09 LKR 646
-42.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 R$8.77
$2.94 LKR 909
-43.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Recife
Colombo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.71 R$3.75
$0.19 LKR 59.1
273.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$35.96 R$189
$4.94 LKR 1,526
627.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R$5.72
$0.41 LKR 127
165.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.67 R$3.51
$0.35 LKR 109
91.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.63 R$19.03
$0.57 LKR 176
536.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.08 R$5.68
$1.25 LKR 386
-13.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.5K R$86.7K
$26.6K LKR 8.2M
-37.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.1K R$116.1K
$35.4K LKR 11.0M
-37.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.4 R$369
$59.5 LKR 18.4K
18.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.88 R$83.4
$4.46 LKR 1,379
256.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.52 R$86.7
$15.16 LKR 4,688
8.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.17 R$106
$14.28 LKR 4,415
41.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$31.14 R$163
$7.05 LKR 2,181
341.70%
Cinema Ticket
$7.14 R$37.47
$3.38 LKR 1,045
111.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$259 R$1,360
$36.49 LKR 11.3K
609.87%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.8K R$56.9K
$444 LKR 137.4K
2337.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.03 R$226
$27.90 LKR 8,629
54.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.5 R$270
$19.17 LKR 5,930
168.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.8 R$445
$68.8 LKR 21.3K
23.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.2 R$400
$38.47 LKR 11.9K
97.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Recife
Colombo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$323 R$1,696
$372 LKR 115.1K
-13.16%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$199 R$1,045
$177 LKR 54.7K
12.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$590 R$3,096
$969 LKR 299.7K
-39.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$541 R$2,843
$360 LKR 111.3K
50.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,911 R$10.0K
$3,705 LKR 1.1M
-48.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,029 R$5,400
$1,248 LKR 386.0K
-17.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Recife
Colombo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$415 R$2,178
$241 LKR 74.4K
72.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15
16.45
-8.81%

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

Last update for Recife: March 3, 2026

Last update for Colombo: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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