Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wattala and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $811 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $574 in Wattala versus $811 in Colombo.

Wattala $574
Colombo $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $951 in Wattala versus $1,298 in Colombo.

Wattala $951
Colombo $1,298

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,328 in Wattala versus $1,785 in Colombo.

Wattala $1,328
Colombo $1,785

Living in Wattala costs roughly 29% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Wattala 58% lower, Colombo 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 LKR 1,274

$3.92 LKR 1,304

-2.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.35 LKR 8,098

$24.58 LKR 8,177

-0.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 LKR 2,540

$7.39 LKR 2,458

3.38%

Cappuccino

$2.48 LKR 824

$2.44 LKR 813

1.64%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$0.67 LKR 222

1.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.25 LKR 83.1

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 712

$2.14 LKR 710

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,011

$3.03 LKR 1,007

0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 LKR 528

$1.58 LKR 525

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 178

$0.53 LKR 176

1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 256

$0.81 LKR 270

-4.94%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 545

$1.62 LKR 539

1.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 LKR 4,655

$15.14 LKR 5,035

-7.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.75 LKR 1,582

$5.12 LKR 1,701

-7.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 LKR 2,440

$7.66 LKR 2,547

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$6.41 LKR 2,133

$6.62 LKR 2,201

-3.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 265

$0.88 LKR 293

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 LKR 1,452

$4.15 LKR 1,382

5.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 422

$1.28 LKR 425

-0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 348

$1.04 LKR 347

0.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 256

$0.82 LKR 271

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 315

$1.21 LKR 404

-21.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.45 LKR 150

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 LKR 3,411

$10.04 LKR 3,338

2.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 LKR 4,236

$13.69 LKR 4,555

-7.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 630

$1.93 LKR 643

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 965

$2.97 LKR 987

-2.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 LKR 66.4

$0.18 LKR 58.8

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 LKR 2,709

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.37 LKR 123

10.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 113

$0.34 LKR 112

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 295

$0.89 LKR 296

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 LKR 376

$1.32 LKR 440

-14.39%

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

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

-0.74%

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

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

$45.1K LKR 15.0M

-10.35%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

2.18%

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

$4.18 LKR 1,391

$4.28 LKR 1,424

-2.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.89 LKR 6,949

$20.66 LKR 6,872

1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.62 LKR 4,530

$20.37 LKR 6,775

-33.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.57 LKR 1,519

$6.14 LKR 2,043

-25.57%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 LKR 975

$4.63 LKR 1,541

-36.72%

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

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

$40.83 LKR 13.6K

-7.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,202 LKR 399.7K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

-93.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 5,999

$18.12 LKR 6,027

-0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.50 LKR 5,490

$17.34 LKR 5,768

-4.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

$41.29 LKR 13.7K

1.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$104 LKR 34.6K

$565 LKR 187.8K

-81.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

$271 LKR 90.1K

-77.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 LKR 80.2K

$1,691 LKR 562.4K

-85.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 LKR 59.1K

$574 LKR 191.1K

-69.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,735 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 385.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$248 LKR 82.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

12.5

1.52%

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

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wattala

$234 40.7%

Colombo

$244 30.1% 4.5% $11

Eating Out

Wattala

$104 18.1%

Colombo

$103 12.7% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wattala

$84 14.6%

Colombo

$83 10.2% 1.7% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Wattala

$69 12.1%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 0.3% $0.2

Accommodation & Living

Wattala

$61 10.6%

Colombo

$271 33.4% 344% $210

Sport & Entertainment

Wattala

$19 3.4%

Colombo

$30 3.7% 52.2% $10

Getting Around

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5%

Colombo

$11 1.3% 275% $8

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 $104 in Wattala and $565 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Wattala vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $244 per month, with Wattala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Wattala

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

12:17 12:17 PM

Same time as Wattala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,200

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wattala Colombo 7 km

From you

Wattala
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

Wattala vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wattala wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Wattala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $861 in Wattala and $1,217 in Colombo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $104 in Wattala versus $565 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38 in Wattala versus $41 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wattala – a meal for two runs $24 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Wattala gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.