Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $805 a month against $1,084 in Tripoli, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Tripoli

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,084

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,084 in Tripoli versus $805 in Colombo.

Tripoli $1,084
Colombo $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,637 in Tripoli versus $1,211 in Colombo.

Tripoli $1,637
Colombo $1,211

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,190 in Tripoli versus $1,617 in Colombo.

Tripoli $2,190
Colombo $1,617

Living in Tripoli is roughly 35% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tripoli 20% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.14 LBP 460.2K

$3.89 LKR 1,287

32.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.3 LBP 4.5M

$24.55 LKR 8,130

104.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 LBP 811.2K

$7.60 LKR 2,519

19.21%

Cappuccino

$3.93 LBP 351.3K

$2.55 LKR 845

54.12%

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

$1.53 LBP 137.2K

$0.68 LKR 226

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LBP 76.4K

$0.27 LKR 89.8

214.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 LBP 435.3K

$2.25 LKR 745

116.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.85 LBP 434.2K

$3.08 LKR 1,019

57.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 LBP 117.6K

$1.63 LKR 539

-19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 LBP 69.8K

$0.58 LKR 191

34.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 LBP 131.3K

$0.77 LKR 255

90.91%

Eggs

$1.17 LBP 104.3K

$1.72 LKR 571

-31.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 LBP 989.1K

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-20.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 LBP 579.7K

$4.79 LKR 1,587

35.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 LBP 966.9K

$7.41 LKR 2,455

45.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 LBP 280.1K

$6.54 LKR 2,168

-52.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 LBP 148.8K

$0.80 LKR 267

107.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 151.5K

$4.28 LKR 1,417

-60.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 LBP 42.9K

$1.29 LKR 427

-62.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.57 LBP 51.4K

$1.00 LKR 331

-43.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 LBP 141.5K

$0.77 LKR 256

105.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 LBP 76.0K

$0.89 LKR 296

-4.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LBP 39.3K

$0.42 LKR 140

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 LBP 276.1K

$10.30 LKR 3,413

-70.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 LBP 972.3K

$12.90 LKR 4,274

-15.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 LBP 115.3K

$1.91 LKR 633

-32.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 LBP 228.4K

$2.93 LKR 969

-12.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 63.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.27 LKR 2,407

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 LBP 443.8K

$0.41 LKR 135

1109.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 LBP 88.2K

$0.37 LKR 123

167.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 LBP 1.8M

$0.92 LKR 305

2033.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 93.8K

$1.34 LKR 445

-21.64%

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

$53.7K LBP 4.8B

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

47.70%

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

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

-17.53%

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

$237 LBP 21.2M

$59.0 LKR 19.5K

301.10%

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

$14.34 LBP 1.3M

$4.37 LKR 1,446

228.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.12 LBP 2.0M

$20.37 LKR 6,748

8.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.40 LBP 3.6M

$13.72 LKR 4,545

194.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.64 LKR 1,868

Cinema Ticket

$9.94 LBP 889.3K

$4.46 LKR 1,476

122.87%

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

$676 LBP 60.5M

$38.30 LKR 12.7K

1663.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,398 LBP 304.2M

$1,211 LKR 401.2K

180.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

$18.16 LKR 6,016

265.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 LBP 4.4M

$16.76 LKR 5,550

192.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

76.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.7M

$42.33 LKR 14.0K

181.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 LBP 36.3M

$578 LKR 191.3K

-29.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 LBP 18.2M

$277 LKR 91.8K

-26.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 LBP 64.9M

$1,495 LKR 495.3K

-51.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 LBP 31.0M

$433 LKR 143.4K

-19.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,154 LBP 103.3M

$3,668 LKR 1.2M

-68.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$852 LBP 76.2M

$1,167 LKR 386.7K

-27.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 LBP 40.3M

$259 LKR 85.9K

73.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

-13.32%

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

Last update for Tripoli: October 12, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tripoli

$273 25.2%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 69.3% $189

Groceries & Markets

Tripoli

$211 19.5%

Colombo

$236 29.3% 11.6% $25

Accommodation & Living

Tripoli

$203 18.7%

Colombo

$277 34.4% 36.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Tripoli

$168 15.5%

Colombo

$70 8.7% 58.2% $98

Eating Out

Tripoli

$159 14.7%

Colombo

$106 13.1% 33.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Tripoli

$60 5.6%

Colombo

$23 2.8% 62.4% $38

Getting Around

Tripoli

$9.9 * 0.9%

Colombo

$10 1.3% 4.3% $0.4

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 $406 in Tripoli and $578 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tripoli pays 74% 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: $50.0 in Tripoli vs $25.00 in Colombo. Groceries flip the comparison at $211 vs $236, with Tripoli cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Tripoli

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Tripoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

999,000

753,000

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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 LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tripoli Colombo 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tripoli
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

Tripoli vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Tripoli. 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 74% higher in Tripoli, 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: $406 in Tripoli versus $578 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $676 in Tripoli versus $38.30 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Colombo – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $50.0 in Tripoli. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $805 in Colombo versus $1,084 in Tripoli, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Colombo but tight or insufficient in Tripoli. 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 35% less than in Tripoli. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.