Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shantou and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $805 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Colombo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Shantou versus $805 in Colombo.

Shantou $692
Colombo $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Shantou versus $1,211 in Colombo.

Shantou $1,104
Colombo $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Shantou versus $1,617 in Colombo.

Shantou $1,516
Colombo $1,617

Living in Shantou costs roughly 14% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shantou 49% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.34

$3.89 LKR 1,287

-41.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$24.55 LKR 8,130

-3.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.58

$7.60 LKR 2,519

-31.97%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$2.55 LKR 845

32.55%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.68 LKR 226

-30.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.27 LKR 89.8

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.91

$2.25 LKR 745

-60.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.27

$3.08 LKR 1,019

-30.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.63 LKR 539

-1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$0.58 LKR 191

150.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.77 LKR 255

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$1.72 LKR 571

-1.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-2.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.90

$4.79 LKR 1,587

-28.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$7.41 LKR 2,455

77.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$6.54 LKR 2,168

-70.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$0.80 LKR 267

87.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.13

$4.28 LKR 1,417

-57.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.29 LKR 427

0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.00 LKR 331

-18.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$0.77 LKR 256

37.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.89 LKR 296

-33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.42 LKR 140

2.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.70

$10.30 LKR 3,413

-64.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$12.90 LKR 4,274

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$1.91 LKR 633

-56.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$2.93 LKR 969

-38.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.19 LKR 63.9

89.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$7.27 LKR 2,407

233.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$0.41 LKR 135

273.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.37 LKR 123

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.85

$0.92 LKR 305

694.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.24

$1.34 LKR 445

-8.21%

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

$19.8K ¥132.3K

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

-45.59%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

-54.70%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

-3.92%

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

$8.89 ¥59.4

$4.37 LKR 1,446

103.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$20.37 LKR 6,748

-31.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.72 LKR 4,545

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.64 LKR 1,868

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$4.46 LKR 1,476

69.06%

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

$540 ¥3,613

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

1310.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.0K

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

1900.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$18.16 LKR 6,016

206.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$16.76 LKR 5,550

136.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥488

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

-7.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

115.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$578 LKR 191.3K

-48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$277 LKR 91.8K

-45.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

-59.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,968

$433 LKR 143.4K

-32.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

-37.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

282.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,097

$259 LKR 85.9K

309.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

12.69

-73.60%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Colombo

$236 29.3% 9.9% $21

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Colombo

$277 34.4% 83.4% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 40% $47

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Colombo

$106 13.1% 22.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 5.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Colombo

$10 1.3% 64.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 50% $7.6

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 $298 in Shantou and $578 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shantou pays 309% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Shantou vs $25.00 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $236 per month, with Shantou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

07:24 7:24 AM

04:54 4:54 AM

2 h 30 min behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

753,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Colombo 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

Shantou vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shantou wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shantou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 309% higher in Shantou, 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: $298 in Shantou versus $578 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shantou – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $25.00 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $692 in Shantou versus $805 in Colombo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Colombo. The gap between the two cities makes Shantou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shantou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shantou hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Shantou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Colombo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.