Cost of living comparison
Beirut is 3.2 times more expensive than Colombo.
If you lived in Beirut instead of Colombo, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.40
LKR995.66
|
$10.00
LBP898,133
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.48
LKR2,190.46
|
$7.64
LBP686,084
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
LKR216.56
|
$1.59
LBP142,739
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
LKR114.50
|
$1.13
LBP101,489
|
|
pay 8.3% less for groceries
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.57
LKR166.91
|
$0.91
LBP82,135
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.94
LKR2,032.28
|
$5.48
LBP491,728
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.54
LKR1,916.16
|
$6.19
LBP555,737
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.22
LKR649.74
|
$2.72
LBP243,996
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.38
LKR697.61
|
$3.84
LBP344,513
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.28
LKR960.00
|
$0.69
LBP62,125
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR149.51
|
$0.56
LBP49,895
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
LKR775.12
|
$0.41
LBP36,878
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
LKR155.16
|
$0.47
LBP41,893
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR148.97
|
$0.39
LBP35,171
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
LKR159.89
|
$0.44
LBP39,391
|
|
pay 4.2 times more for transportation
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
LKR1,416.89
|
$3.49
LBP313,510
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.80
LKR1,991.33
|
$75.00
LBP6,735,996
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,303.89
LKR10,344,940.90
|
$30,000.00
LBP2,694,398,584
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.13
LKR916.01
|
$12.75
LBP1,145,119
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for housing
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$16.40
LKR4,805.26
|
$31.88
LBP2,862,798
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$297.60
LKR87,203.50
|
$738.24
LBP66,303,338
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$180.09
LKR52,770.05
|
$359.38
LBP32,276,650
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.85
LKR12,848.14
|
$161.18
LBP14,476,375
|
|
pay 8.5 times more for childcare
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$28.60
LKR8,380.17
|
$283.33
LBP25,447,098
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$586.98
LKR172,000.82
|
$4,111.11
LBP369,232,398
|
|
pay 82.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.04
LKR597.40
|
$3.00
LBP269,440
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
LKR759.11
|
$2.80
LBP251,477
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.34
LKR2,738.07
|
$2.00
LBP179,627
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$13.89
LKR4,068.82
|
$59.33
LBP5,328,922
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.40
LKR995.66
|
$7.00
LBP628,693
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for clothing
|
Colombo
|
Beirut
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$29.69
LKR8,700.11
|
$78.12
LBP7,016,663
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.31
LKR6,538.19
|
$57.86
LBP5,196,340
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$68.77
LKR20,151.36
|
$103.12
LBP9,261,995
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$37.51
LKR10,990.59
|
$110.71
LBP9,943,614
|
|
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