Cost of living comparison
Brussels is 8.2 times more expensive than Colombo.
If you lived in Brussels instead of Colombo, you would:
pay 4.6 times more for restaurants
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.40
LKR988.69
|
$21.44
€20.58
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.48
LKR2,175.12
|
$12.86
€12.35
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
LKR215.04
|
$2.89
€2.78
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
LKR113.70
|
$2.56
€2.45
|
|
pay 80.1% more for groceries
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.57
LKR165.74
|
$2.59
€2.49
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.94
LKR2,018.05
|
$7.47
€7.17
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.54
LKR1,902.74
|
$6.00
€5.76
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.22
LKR645.19
|
$4.29
€4.12
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.38
LKR692.73
|
$5.66
€5.43
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.28
LKR953.28
|
$1.16
€1.12
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR148.46
|
$0.96
€0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
LKR769.69
|
$1.19
€1.14
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
LKR154.07
|
$1.38
€1.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR147.93
|
$0.98
€0.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
LKR158.77
|
$0.94
€0.90
|
|
pay 4.6 times more for transportation
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
LKR1,406.97
|
$6.92
€6.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.80
LKR1,977.38
|
$53.59
€51.44
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,303.89
LKR10,272,496.25
|
$32,152.89
€30,862.82
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.13
LKR909.60
|
$25.94
€24.90
|
|
pay 4.3 times more for housing
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$16.40
LKR4,771.61
|
$55.46
€53.24
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$297.60
LKR86,592.83
|
$1,200.57
€1,152.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$180.09
LKR52,400.51
|
$1,025.16
€984.03
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.85
LKR12,758.16
|
$179.33
€172.14
|
|
pay 36.6 times more for childcare
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$28.60
LKR8,321.48
|
$988.17
€948.52
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$586.98
LKR170,796.32
|
$22,667.79
€21,758.29
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.04
LKR593.21
|
$5.36
€5.14
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
LKR753.79
|
$4.01
€3.85
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.34
LKR2,718.90
|
$9.65
€9.26
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$13.89
LKR4,040.32
|
$38.09
€36.56
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.40
LKR988.69
|
$14.20
€13.63
|
|
pay 2.8 times more for clothing
|
Colombo
|
Brussels
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$29.69
LKR8,639.18
|
$96.46
€92.59
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.31
LKR6,492.40
|
$51.32
€49.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$68.77
LKR20,010.24
|
$115.01
€110.39
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$37.51
LKR10,913.62
|
$143.35
€137.60
|
|
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