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Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Colombo

😐 Solo nomad: Shantou is 3.6% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 3.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Shantou is 4.4% cheaper than Colombo without rent, and 7.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.08 ¥14.7
$3.94 LKR 1,213
-47.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$16.65 ¥118
$25.13 LKR 7,732
-33.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 ¥35.11
$8.53 LKR 2,625
-41.74%
Cappuccino
$3.22 ¥22.74
$2.63 LKR 810
22.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ¥3.34
$0.68 LKR 210
-30.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.97
$0.38 LKR 116
-26.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.86 ¥6.11
$2.39 LKR 734
-64.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.7 ¥19.06
$3.41 LKR 1,050
-20.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ¥11.72
$1.7 LKR 522
-2.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.38 ¥9.76
$0.52 LKR 160
165.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.68 ¥4.82
$0.86 LKR 264
-20.93%
Eggs
$1.87 ¥13.22
$2.11 LKR 649
-11.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.98 ¥91.8
$14.2 LKR 4,368
-8.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.9 ¥27.57
$4.55 LKR 1,401
-14.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.97 ¥84.6
$8.27 LKR 2,546
44.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 ¥13.2
$7.62 LKR 2,344
-75.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 ¥9.99
$1.11 LKR 341
27.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 ¥11.79
$5.85 LKR 1,799
-71.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 ¥9
$1.25 LKR 384
1.60%
Potato (1kg)
$0.78 ¥5.52
$1.1 LKR 338
-29.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 ¥6.61
$1.38 LKR 424
-32.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.64 ¥4.5
$1.14 LKR 351
-43.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 ¥3.05
$0.57 LKR 175
-24.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.52 ¥24.89
$10.19 LKR 3,135
-65.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.58 ¥81.9
$14.67 LKR 4,514
-21.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥5.43
$2.07 LKR 636
-62.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ¥12.77
$2.98 LKR 915
-39.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 ¥2.57
$0.17 LKR 52.9
111.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.55 ¥159
$5.05 LKR 1,554
346.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.5 ¥10.64
$0.38 LKR 117
294.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ¥2.28
$0.35 LKR 109
-8.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.66 ¥47.11
$0.61 LKR 188
991.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ¥8.14
$1.21 LKR 374
-4.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ¥149.9K
$26.6K LKR 8.2M
-20.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K ¥136.5K
$34.4K LKR 10.6M
-43.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$53.5 ¥378
$60.6 LKR 18.7K
-11.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.32 ¥58.8
$4.42 LKR 1,359
88.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.8 ¥90.5
$15.11 LKR 4,649
-15.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.57 ¥301
$14.38 LKR 4,425
196.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.08 ¥99.6
$7.3 LKR 2,245
92.88%
Cinema Ticket
$7.06 ¥49.89
$3.31 LKR 1,018
113.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$450 ¥3,184
$37.09 LKR 11.4K
1114.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.9K ¥148K
$435 LKR 133.9K
4710.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.93 ¥353
$27.33 LKR 8,409
82.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.12 ¥213
$19.03 LKR 5,855
58.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.3 ¥539
$69 LKR 21.2K
10.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.2 ¥553
$38.9 LKR 12K
101.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥1,971
$366 LKR 112.6K
-23.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$141 ¥998
$177 LKR 54.6K
-20.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$547 ¥3,865
$939 LKR 289K
-41.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$279 ¥1,974
$368 LKR 113.3K
-24.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,120 ¥15K
$2,285 LKR 703.2K
-7.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,243 ¥30K
$1,315 LKR 404.5K
222.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shantou
Colombo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$997 ¥7,047
$224 LKR 69.1K
343.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.04
16.45
-75.44%

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

Last update for Shantou: November 30, 2025

Last update for Colombo: December 1, 2025

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