Cost of living comparison
Colombo is 72.0% cheaper than George Town.
- Restaurants
-
pay 76.9% less in Colombo
- Groceries
-
pay 58.9% less in Colombo
- Transportation
-
pay 52.1% less in Colombo
- Housing
-
pay 88.4% less in Colombo
- Childcare
-
pay 98.0% less in Colombo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 65.7% less in Colombo
- Clothing
-
pay 63.9% less in Colombo
Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, and groceries are lower in Colombo.
If you lived in Colombo instead of George Town, you would:
pay 76.9% less for restaurants
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$29.82
KYD24.85
|
$3.40
LKR1,006.42
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.51
KYD12.92
|
$7.48
LKR2,214.13
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.80
KYD3.17
|
$0.74
LKR218.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.91
KYD2.42
|
$0.39
LKR115.74
|
|
pay 58.9% less for groceries
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.97
KYD4.14
|
$0.57
LKR168.71
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.42
KYD5.35
|
$6.94
LKR2,054.24
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.63
KYD9.69
|
$6.54
LKR1,936.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$9.52
KYD7.93
|
$2.22
LKR656.76
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.73
KYD5.61
|
$2.38
LKR705.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$4.70
KYD3.92
|
$3.28
LKR970.38
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$2.08
KYD1.73
|
$0.51
LKR151.12
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$3.73
KYD3.11
|
$2.65
LKR783.49
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.69
KYD3.08
|
$0.53
LKR156.84
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.97
KYD2.47
|
$0.51
LKR150.58
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.50
KYD2.08
|
$0.55
LKR161.61
|
|
pay 52.1% less for transportation
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.65
KYD5.54
|
$4.84
LKR1,432.20
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.82
KYD24.85
|
$6.80
LKR2,012.84
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,771.25
KYD32,309.21
|
$35,303.89
LKR10,456,719.10
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$65.61
KYD54.68
|
$3.13
LKR925.91
|
|
pay 88.4% less for housing
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$111.36
KYD92.80
|
$16.40
LKR4,857.18
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,931.28
KYD2,442.72
|
$297.60
LKR88,145.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,539.30
KYD2,116.08
|
$180.09
LKR53,340.24
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$302.52
KYD252.09
|
$43.85
LKR12,986.96
|
|
pay 98.0% less for childcare
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,601.98
KYD1,334.97
|
$28.60
LKR8,470.71
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,183.42
KYD20,986.07
|
$586.98
LKR173,859.31
|
|
pay 65.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.75
KYD6.46
|
$2.04
LKR603.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$6.63
KYD5.52
|
$2.59
LKR767.31
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.12
KYD10.94
|
$9.34
LKR2,767.66
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$86.49
KYD72.07
|
$13.89
LKR4,112.78
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.89
KYD14.91
|
$3.40
LKR1,006.42
|
|
pay 63.9% less for clothing
|
George Town
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$89.47
KYD74.56
|
$29.69
LKR8,794.11
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$70.09
KYD58.41
|
$22.31
LKR6,608.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$128.24
KYD106.87
|
$68.77
LKR20,369.10
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$146.14
KYD121.78
|
$37.51
LKR11,109.34
|
|
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 George Town. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.