Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Xiamen and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $832 in Xiamen, rent and utilities included – about $340 less a year. The total is higher in Xiamen despite lower rent and utilities.

40

Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
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Colombo Living Index

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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$832

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Xiamen versus $804 in Colombo.

Xiamen $832
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,337 in Xiamen versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Xiamen $1,337
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,842 in Xiamen versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Xiamen $1,842
Colombo $1,675

Living in Xiamen is roughly 3% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xiamen 39% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ¥19.50

$3.74 LKR 1,243

-21.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.60 ¥157

$24.72 LKR 8,219

-4.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.54

$7.60 LKR 2,529

-31.58%

Cappuccino

$2.57 ¥17.07

$2.45 LKR 814

4.90%

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

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.68 LKR 227

-30.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.27 LKR 89.9

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$2.22 LKR 739

-31.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ¥19.58

$3.07 LKR 1,020

-3.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$1.57 LKR 521

-6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 ¥15.14

$0.54 LKR 178

322.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$0.80 LKR 266

18.75%

Eggs

$1.64 ¥10.88

$1.71 LKR 568

-4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 ¥79.9

$13.92 LKR 4,628

-13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.45 ¥16.25

$4.78 LKR 1,591

-48.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.76 ¥78.2

$7.46 LKR 2,481

57.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 ¥17.17

$6.40 LKR 2,127

-59.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.81

$0.85 LKR 284

74.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.10

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-60.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ¥13.24

$1.33 LKR 443

49.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.48

$1.00 LKR 334

-3.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.05

$0.81 LKR 270

123.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.16

$0.93 LKR 308

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.45 LKR 151

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ¥19.37

$10.33 LKR 3,436

-71.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 ¥75.6

$12.87 LKR 4,280

-11.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.28

$1.93 LKR 642

-59.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ¥11.56

$3.00 LKR 999

-42.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.08

$0.18 LKR 59.4

-11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.93 ¥79.3

$5.96 LKR 1,983

100.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.67

$0.40 LKR 134

265.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.35 LKR 116

-17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 ¥49.09

$0.94 LKR 312

686.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.84

$1.32 LKR 438

0.76%

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

$19.7K ¥131.2K

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-54.52%

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

$17.6K ¥116.7K

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-55.73%

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

$43.23 ¥287

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

-26.54%

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

$8.70 ¥57.8

$4.20 LKR 1,397

107.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.38 ¥69.0

$20.61 LKR 6,855

-49.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.30 ¥314

$19.88 LKR 6,613

137.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.31 ¥68.5

$5.81 LKR 1,933

77.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 ¥68.1

$4.42 LKR 1,469

131.67%

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

$496 ¥3,298

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

1201.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K ¥164.7K

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

1942.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.20 ¥261

$17.77 LKR 5,909

120.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 ¥196

$16.62 LKR 5,527

77.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ¥710

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

37.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥562

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

100.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$352 ¥2,342

$586 LKR 194.8K

-39.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 ¥1,767

$275 LKR 91.5K

-3.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$841 ¥5,589

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

-49.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$544 ¥3,612

$490 LKR 163.0K

10.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,588 ¥57.1K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

136.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,847 ¥32.2K

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

318.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,179 ¥7,837

$259 LKR 86.0K

356.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

12.69

-72.73%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$266 32%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 3.5% $9.2

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$217 26.1%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 8.4% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$117 14.1%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 40.7% $48

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 19.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$68 8.2%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 57.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$62 7.5%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 34.3% $21

Getting Around

Xiamen

$15 1.9%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 42.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $352 in Xiamen and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $24 in Xiamen vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $235 per month, with Xiamen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

10:10 10:10 AM

2 h 30 min behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

753,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 6.64 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Xiamen Colombo 4,510 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

Xiamen vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Colombo wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Xiamen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Colombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Xiamen is about 4.6 times higher, 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: $352 in Xiamen versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Xiamen pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Xiamen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.