Cost of living comparison

 Kathmandu, Nepal
compared to
 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo vs. Kathmandu Cost of Living Summary

Colombo is 28.7% more expensive than Kathmandu.

Restaurants
pay 84.0% more in Colombo
Groceries
pay 2.0 times more in Colombo
Transportation
pay 24.3% less in Colombo
Housing
pay 63.8% more in Colombo
Childcare
pay 76.0% less in Colombo
Entertainment and Sports
pay 43.2% more in Colombo
Clothing
pay 5.9% more in Colombo

The cost of groceries, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Colombo are more expensive than in Kathmandu. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Colombo. Notably, groceries and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Colombo.

Colombo vs. Kathmandu Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Colombo instead of Kathmandu, you would:

pay 84.0% more for restaurants

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.47
NPR201.60
$3.40
LKR1,017.07
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.36
NPR1,007.01
$7.48
LKR2,237.55
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.46
NPR62.42
$0.74
LKR221.21

Improve prices ·

pay 2.0 times more for groceries

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Bread
1 loaf
$0.57
NPR77.45
$0.57
LKR170.50
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.70
NPR642.68
$6.94
LKR2,075.98
Milk (1 gallon) $3.17
NPR434.23
$6.54
LKR1,957.35

Improve prices ·

pay 24.3% less for transportation

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.85
NPR664.22
$4.84
LKR1,447.35
Monthly public transit pass $9.94
NPR1,360.82
$6.80
LKR2,034.14
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,138.99
NPR4,536,069.77
$35,303.89
LKR10,567,356.18

Improve prices ·

pay 63.8% more for housing

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$10.42
NPR1,426.73
$16.40
LKR4,908.57
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $191.60
NPR26,226.88
$297.60
LKR89,078.37
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $102.03
NPR13,965.21
$180.09
LKR53,904.60

Improve prices ·

pay 76.0% less for childcare

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $91.89
NPR12,577.28
$28.60
LKR8,560.34
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,479.59
NPR476,287.33
$586.98
LKR175,698.82

Improve prices ·

pay 43.2% more for entertainment and sports

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.58
NPR352.81
$2.04
LKR610.24
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.66
NPR227.19
$2.59
LKR775.43
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.95
NPR403.21
$9.34
LKR2,796.94

Improve prices ·

pay 5.9% more for clothing

 
Kathmandu
Colombo
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$24.02
NPR3,287.68
$29.69
LKR8,887.16
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$31.19
NPR4,269.24
$22.31
LKR6,678.76
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$53.29
NPR7,294.85
$68.77
LKR20,584.61

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Nepal vs. Sri Lanka. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Colombo or Kathmandu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.