Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zhengzhou and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhengzhou: $661 a month against $804 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Zhengzhou
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Zhengzhou Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Zhengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$661

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $661 in Zhengzhou versus $804 in Colombo.

Zhengzhou $661
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,056 in Zhengzhou versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Zhengzhou $1,056
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Zhengzhou versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Zhengzhou $1,451
Colombo $1,675

Living in Zhengzhou costs roughly 18% less than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zhengzhou 51% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.22 ¥14.78

$3.74 LKR 1,242

-40.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.32 ¥109

$24.72 LKR 8,214

-33.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.43 ¥29.55

$7.60 LKR 2,527

-41.71%

Cappuccino

$2.31 ¥15.40

$2.45 LKR 814

-5.71%

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

$0.52 ¥3.49

$0.68 LKR 226

-23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.27 LKR 89.8

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ¥6.09

$2.22 LKR 739

-59.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.26

$3.07 LKR 1,019

-49.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.57 LKR 520

-1.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.19

$0.54 LKR 178

211.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.90

$0.80 LKR 266

28.75%

Eggs

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.71 LKR 567

-43.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 ¥56.3

$13.92 LKR 4,625

-39.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.23

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-33.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ¥69.0

$7.46 LKR 2,480

38.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.83

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-77.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.85 LKR 283

20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.13

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-74.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.10

$1.33 LKR 443

-8.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.17

$1.00 LKR 334

-37.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.84

$0.81 LKR 270

-9.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.44

$0.93 LKR 308

-27.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥5.25

$0.45 LKR 151

75.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ¥22.83

$10.33 LKR 3,434

-66.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 ¥98.2

$12.87 LKR 4,277

14.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.17

$1.93 LKR 642

-51.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ¥13.88

$3.00 LKR 999

-30.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 ¥1.01

$0.18 LKR 59.3

-16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.80 ¥98.6

$5.96 LKR 1,982

148.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.18

$0.40 LKR 134

282.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.35 LKR 116

-11.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 ¥23.81

$0.94 LKR 312

279.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$1.32 LKR 438

-3.79%

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

$19.6K ¥130.5K

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-54.90%

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

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-56.57%

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

$71.1 ¥474

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

20.83%

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

$7.05 ¥46.96

$4.20 LKR 1,396

67.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.24 ¥68.3

$20.61 LKR 6,851

-50.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 ¥275

$19.88 LKR 6,609

107.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.72 ¥91.5

$5.81 LKR 1,932

136.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.97 ¥39.82

$4.42 LKR 1,468

35.07%

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

$388 ¥2,585

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

917.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K ¥208.6K

$1,214 LKR 403.4K

2478.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.63 ¥291

$17.77 LKR 5,905

145.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.63 ¥224

$16.62 LKR 5,523

102.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ¥485

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

-6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.1 ¥481

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

70.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 ¥1,338

$586 LKR 194.7K

-65.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 ¥943

$275 LKR 91.4K

-48.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥3,829

$1,677 LKR 557.4K

-65.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,220

$490 LKR 162.9K

-32.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,830 ¥18.9K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-22.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,505 ¥10.0K

$1,158 LKR 384.9K

29.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$920 ¥6,135

$259 LKR 86.0K

255.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

12.69

-74.07%

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

Last update for Zhengzhou: October 25, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zhengzhou

$190 28.8%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 23.6% $45

Accommodation & Living

Zhengzhou

$142 21.4%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 94.3% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Zhengzhou

$100 15.1%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 30.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhengzhou

$88 13.4%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 5.4% $4.7

Eating Out

Zhengzhou

$70 10.5%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 48.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Zhengzhou

$53 8%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 46% $24

Getting Around

Zhengzhou

$18 2.8%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 52.2% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $201 in Zhengzhou and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhengzhou pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16 in Zhengzhou vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $235 per month, with Zhengzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhengzhou

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

17:28 5:28 PM

2 h 30 min behind Zhengzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,600,574

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 = 2.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zhengzhou Colombo 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhengzhou
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

Zhengzhou vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhengzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Colombo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zhengzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Zhengzhou is about 3.6 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: $201 in Zhengzhou versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Colombo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Zhengzhou – a meal for two runs $16 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 Zhengzhou 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.