Cost of living comparison
Chennai is 4.4% more expensive than Colombo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 44.2% less in Chennai
- Groceries
-
pay 47.6% less in Chennai
- Transportation
-
pay 8.6% more in Chennai
- Housing
-
pay 34.0% less in Chennai
- Childcare
-
pay 2.7 times more in Chennai
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.6% less in Chennai
- Clothing
-
pay 8.8% less in Chennai
The cost of childcare and transportation in Chennai are more expensive than in Colombo. Expenses including groceries, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Chennai. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Chennai.
If you lived in Chennai instead of Colombo, you would:
pay 44.2% less for restaurants
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.40
LKR1,018.10
|
$1.78
₹151.79
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.48
LKR2,239.82
|
$4.45
₹380.31
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
LKR221.44
|
$0.43
₹37.08
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.39
LKR117.08
|
$0.20
₹17.48
|
|
pay 47.6% less for groceries
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.57
LKR170.67
|
$0.54
₹46.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.94
LKR2,078.08
|
$3.76
₹321.46
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.54
LKR1,959.34
|
$2.45
₹208.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.22
LKR664.38
|
$0.93
₹79.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.38
LKR713.33
|
$1.61
₹137.86
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.28
LKR981.64
|
$1.27
₹108.26
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR152.88
|
$0.41
₹34.82
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.65
LKR792.59
|
$0.63
₹53.47
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
LKR158.66
|
$0.26
₹21.97
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.51
LKR152.33
|
$0.23
₹19.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
LKR163.49
|
$0.24
₹20.41
|
|
pay 8.6% more for transportation
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
LKR1,448.82
|
$4.63
₹395.05
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.80
LKR2,036.20
|
$11.85
₹1,011.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,303.89
LKR10,578,066.42
|
$17,776.60
₹1,517,850.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.13
LKR936.65
|
$3.56
₹303.57
|
|
pay 34.0% less for housing
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$16.40
LKR4,913.55
|
$10.05
₹858.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$297.60
LKR89,168.65
|
$195.87
₹16,724.60
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$180.09
LKR53,959.24
|
$116.42
₹9,940.43
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.85
LKR13,137.67
|
$31.71
₹2,707.25
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$28.60
LKR8,569.01
|
$84.21
₹7,190.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$586.98
LKR175,876.90
|
$1,425.36
₹121,704.00
|
|
pay 11.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.04
LKR610.86
|
$2.01
₹172.02
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.59
LKR776.21
|
$1.83
₹156.62
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.34
LKR2,799.78
|
$4.21
₹359.22
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$13.89
LKR4,160.51
|
$19.49
₹1,664.09
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.40
LKR1,018.10
|
$2.96
₹252.98
|
|
pay 8.8% less for clothing
|
Colombo
|
Chennai
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$29.69
LKR8,896.16
|
$26.09
₹2,227.86
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$22.31
LKR6,685.53
|
$24.99
₹2,133.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$68.77
LKR20,605.47
|
$47.54
₹4,059.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$37.51
LKR11,238.27
|
$35.84
₹3,060.23
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Chennai or Colombo. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.