Colombo at a glance
- Essentials in Colombo run $497 a month.
- The average net salary of $239 covers that 0.5×.
- 109.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at DS division level.
- PM2.5 averages 20.3 µg/m³ a year, 4× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $497 |
|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $228 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $503 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $88 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $102 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $73 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $6 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $239 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $378 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,311 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Colombo, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $4.41 |
|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $23.94 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $7.48 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.42 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $2.21 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.99 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.70 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.26 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.58 |
|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.49 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $0.77 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.57 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $12.84 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.83 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $6.77 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $0.82 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.24 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.98 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.76 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.46 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.15 |
|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $7.16 |
| Taxi start | $0.39 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.36 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.27 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $52.39 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $20.61 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $4.12 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $13.63 |
|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $4.19 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Colombo has 109.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (DS division level). That is the highest of the 10 Sri Lanka cities we track. Sri Lanka's national figure is 98.8, so Colombo runs 10 above the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Colombo ranks against every city we track
Colombo sits ahead of 87% of the 542 cities we track on cost of living. On city-centre rent it is ahead of 67% of 553. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 5% of 534.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Colombo sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Need the full Sri Lanka model?
Open the gated deep-dive for city shortlist, cost detail, weather, visa, tax, dating-market signals, and subregion rankings.
Unlock Sri Lanka deep-dive
Photo: Dan Lundberg, CC BY-SA 2.0.
