Cost of living in Colombo

Hi,

Food is very cheap if you home cook meals. About 15-25k rupees (75-120 Euros) per month should be enough for a person. It could be even lower if you plan well.

An average restaurant meal may cost around 1500 rupees (7.5 Euros). Fancy restaurants cost as much as in Europe/North America. I cannot answer for Yoga classes though since I haven't taken any. But, I assume it should be around 10-25 Euros per month with local instructors. There are also many expats offering yoga classes in Colombo judging by the ads I've seen.

Unless you're a person enjoying the city life, I would recommend living in a different "city" than Colombo. This can save a lot of rent money since Colombo is very expensive to find decent housing on a budget. Unfortunately, Colombo is the only city in Sri Lanka that feels like a "city" in Europe or elsewhere. Other cities are very laid back and almost feel like towns. Kandy is a great place to live cheaper (you could rent an entire house for 20-30k/month = 100-150 Euros) and also a good hub to travel from. For the same price in Colombo, you will get a small room.

You can calculate a monthly budget based on these depending on your life style. But, I think, 50k rupees (250 Euros) is enough to live in any place other than Colombo and a bit of traveling inclusive.

Feel free to send me a message if you want to know anything else. I am happy to help.

Best wishes!

yasas_am wrote:

Hi,

Food is very cheap if you home cook meals. About 15-25k rupees (75-120 Euros) per month should be enough for a person. It could be even lower if you plan well.

An average restaurant meal may cost around 1500 rupees (7.5 Euros). Fancy restaurants cost as much as in Europe/North America. I cannot answer for Yoga classes though since I haven't taken any. But, I assume it should be around 10-25 Euros per month with local instructors. There are also many expats offering yoga classes in Colombo judging by the ads I've seen.

Unless you're a person enjoying the city life, I would recommend living in a different "city" than Colombo. This can save a lot of rent money since Colombo is very expensive to find decent housing on a budget. Unfortunately, Colombo is the only city in Sri Lanka that feels like a "city" in Europe or elsewhere. Other cities are very laid back and almost feel like towns. Kandy is a great place to live cheaper (you could rent an entire house for 20-30k/month = 100-150 Euros) and also a good hub to travel from. For the same price in Colombo, you will get a small room.

You can calculate a monthly budget based on these depending on your life style. But, I think, 50k rupees (250 Euros) is enough to live in any place other than Colombo and a bit of traveling inclusive.

Feel free to send me a message if you want to know anything else. I am happy to help.

Best wishes!

These are very good information indeed. I have asked many who I know about cost of living in SL but no one gave me a detailed answer like this. On the other hand I am little bit surprised when I compare those much higher figurs I got from others to this 250 euros. Can anyone else who live in SL confirm and agree to these information or have anything more to add to this?

Hi Yasas,,

This is  Nicholas

I discovered you today...

. In comparison how did everything change in 5 years  ?

I am from Istanbul,  owercrowded,  cold city.

I would like to relocate to Galle. The most important issue for me is, how much should I pay for decent FURNISHED apartment or a small house ?

Would 100 Us dollar be enough?

My monthly budget is approx.500 Us dolar, without alcohol, tobaco of course. a frugal life style

. Can I survive ?

Are there any cultural events in Galle like concerts, theather etc. ?

I work only a couple hours daily. What Can I undertake in Galle, is Galle a boring city?

I want  a peaceful environment with may expats..Is Galle a good choice?

Thanks for your responce