Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Recife and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $805 a month against $924 in Recife, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
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Recife Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$924

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $924 in Recife versus $805 in Colombo.

Recife $924
Colombo $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,523 in Recife versus $1,211 in Colombo.

Recife $1,523
Colombo $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,121 in Recife versus $1,617 in Colombo.

Recife $2,121
Colombo $1,617

Living in Recife is roughly 15% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Recife 32% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 R$27.99

$3.89 LKR 1,287

41.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.47 R$195

$24.55 LKR 8,130

56.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.93 R$50.4

$7.60 LKR 2,519

30.66%

Cappuccino

$2.58 R$13.08

$2.55 LKR 845

1.18%

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

$1.10 R$5.56

$0.68 LKR 226

61.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.21

$0.27 LKR 89.8

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 R$8.31

$2.25 LKR 745

-27.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 R$15.99

$3.08 LKR 1,019

2.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 R$7.00

$1.63 LKR 539

-15.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 R$8.63

$0.58 LKR 191

193.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 R$8.51

$0.77 LKR 255

118.18%

Eggs

$1.91 R$9.68

$1.72 LKR 571

11.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.10 R$36.01

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-49.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 R$23.73

$4.79 LKR 1,587

-2.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.08 R$40.97

$7.41 LKR 2,455

9.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.22

$6.54 LKR 2,168

-78.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.02

$0.80 LKR 267

73.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.11

$4.28 LKR 1,417

-81.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.29 LKR 427

-4.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 R$7.50

$1.00 LKR 331

48.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.50

$0.77 LKR 256

41.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 R$2.65

$0.89 LKR 296

-41.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R$4.59

$0.42 LKR 140

114.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.76 R$8.94

$10.30 LKR 3,413

-82.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 R$41.80

$12.90 LKR 4,274

-36.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.91 LKR 633

-37.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 R$7.65

$2.93 LKR 969

-48.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.45

$0.19 LKR 63.9

363.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.02 R$193

$7.27 LKR 2,407

422.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.50

$0.41 LKR 135

212.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R$3.74

$0.37 LKR 123

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 R$18.42

$0.92 LKR 305

294.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.34 LKR 445

1.49%

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

$23.7K R$120.1K

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

-34.87%

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

$33.2K R$168.2K

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

-16.59%

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

$117 R$596

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

99.24%

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

$13.49 R$68.4

$4.37 LKR 1,446

208.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 R$88.8

$20.37 LKR 6,748

-14.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.79 R$110

$13.72 LKR 4,545

58.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.68 R$176

$5.64 LKR 1,868

514.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.54 R$43.28

$4.46 LKR 1,476

91.48%

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

$282 R$1,432

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

637.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K R$60.9K

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

892.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.34 R$235

$18.16 LKR 6,016

155.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 R$259

$16.76 LKR 5,550

205.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 R$383

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

-3.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.6 R$413

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

92.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 R$2,578

$578 LKR 191.3K

-11.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$265 R$1,345

$277 LKR 91.8K

-4.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 R$4,495

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

-40.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 R$3,233

$433 LKR 143.4K

47.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,005 R$10.2K

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

-45.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,070 R$5,425

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

-8.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$437 R$2,214

$259 LKR 85.9K

68.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

12.69

-7.41%

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

Last update for Recife: October 10, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Recife

$265 28.7%

Colombo

$277 34.4% 4.5% $12

Groceries & Markets

Recife

$184 19.9%

Colombo

$236 29.3% 28.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Recife

$148 16.1%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 43.6% $65

Eating Out

Recife

$126 13.7%

Colombo

$106 13.1% 16.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Recife

$115 12.4%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 38.8% $44

Getting Around

Recife

$47 5%

Colombo

$10 1.3% 77.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Recife

$39 4.2%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 41.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Recife and $578 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Recife pays 68% 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: $38.00 in Recife vs $25.00 in Colombo. Groceries flip the comparison at $184 vs $236, with Recife cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Recife

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

11:11 11:11 AM

8 h 30 min ahead of Recife

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,488,920

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Recife Colombo 12,830 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Recife
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

Recife vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Recife. 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 68% higher in Recife, 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: $509 in Recife versus $578 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Recife pay roughly 28% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $38.00 in Recife. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $805 in Colombo versus $924 in Recife, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Recife. 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 $805 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Colombo hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Colombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Recife. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.