Cost of living comparison
Colombo is 25.4% more expensive than Freetown.
- Restaurants
-
pay 24.0% less in Colombo
- Groceries
-
pay 14.0% less in Colombo
- Transportation
-
pay 61.6% more in Colombo
- Housing
-
pay 75.9% less in Colombo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 56.1% more in Colombo
- Clothing
-
pay 2.5 times more in Colombo
The cost of clothing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Colombo are more expensive than in Freetown. Expenses including housing, restaurants, and groceries are lower in Colombo. Notably, clothing is significantly more expensive in Colombo.
If you lived in Colombo instead of Freetown, you would:
pay 24.0% less for restaurants
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
$3.40
LKR1,018.23
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
$7.48
LKR2,240.10
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
SLL21,591
|
$0.74
LKR221.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
SLL18,596
|
$0.39
LKR117.10
|
|
pay 14.0% less for groceries
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.50
SLL10,485
|
$0.57
LKR170.69
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$6.94
LKR2,078.34
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.57
SLL158,756
|
$6.54
LKR1,959.58
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.95
SLL40,891
|
$2.22
LKR664.46
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.40
SLL71,337
|
$2.38
LKR713.42
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.81
SLL38,046
|
$3.28
LKR981.76
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
$0.51
LKR152.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$2.65
LKR792.69
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.27
SLL47,558
|
$0.53
LKR158.67
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.91
SLL19,023
|
$0.51
LKR152.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.74
SLL15,488
|
$0.55
LKR163.51
|
|
pay 61.6% more for transportation
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
SLL101,357
|
$4.84
LKR1,449.00
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$6.80
LKR2,036.46
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$12,000.00
SLL251,634,000
|
$35,303.89
LKR10,579,388.70
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.75
SLL225,422
|
$3.13
LKR936.77
|
|
pay 75.9% less for housing
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$100.00
SLL2,096,950
|
$16.40
LKR4,914.16
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,361.67
SLL28,553,469
|
$297.60
LKR89,179.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$978.33
SLL20,515,161
|
$180.09
LKR53,965.98
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.40
SLL2,314,990
|
$43.85
LKR13,139.32
|
|
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$28.60
LKR8,570.09
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$586.98
LKR175,898.88
|
pay 56.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.50
SLL31,454
|
$2.04
LKR610.94
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.74
SLL36,435
|
$2.59
LKR776.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.00
SLL62,908
|
$9.34
LKR2,800.13
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
$13.89
LKR4,161.03
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$3.40
LKR1,018.23
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for clothing
|
Freetown
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$10.00
SLL209,695
|
$29.69
LKR8,897.28
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$8.00
SLL167,756
|
$22.31
LKR6,686.36
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$20.00
SLL419,390
|
$68.77
LKR20,608.05
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$50.00
SLL1,048,475
|
$37.51
LKR11,239.67
|
|
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 Colombo or Freetown. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.