2.72/5
271 reviews
Photo by Mike Swigunski via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Colombo

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food

expensive

country

pick

prices

tuktuks

good

surf

app

driver

drivers

cheap

compared

friendly

walk

bit

Sri Lanka boasts excellent surf, making it appealing to surfers, and some visitors appreciate the warm demeanor of the local people. However, beyond that, the country presents several serious drawbacks, especially for digital nomads and long-term travellers. Most reviews highlight that it is far more expensive than expected, with food and basic services often costing as much as in Western countries. Internet connectivity is poor and unreliable, making remote work difficult.

Safety is a concern, particularly for women. Multiple reviews mention aggressive harassment, including catcalling and groping in public. Scams are common, and there are reports of local cartels controlling tuk-tuks and even tourism-related services like surf schools. While tuk-tuks are cheap, getting one via the local app is unreliable, and cartel interference adds to the inconvenience.

Food quality is inconsistent, and even though street food is available, it's considered overpriced and uninspiring compared to other Asian countries. Previous experience living in more affordable and tourist-friendly areas like Chiang Mai only highlights Sri Lanka's shortcomings. Infrastructure and convenience appear lacking, especially in Colombo. Overall, the country may suit short-term surf trips but is not recommended for remote workers or long stays due to high costs, safety concerns, and logistical challenges.

AI-generated summary of reviews
6 months ago

Sri Lanka is not ready for tourism. Besides scams and "cartel prices" for tuktuks and other services, it is unsafe for women. Men catcalling, touching, and groping are the norm. Moreover, it is not cheap at all compared to other countries in South/Southeast Asia. Especially when landlords tend to increase rental prices once they learn you're a good tenant.
Locals may appear friendly, but the reality often differs. As a patriarchal society, instances of domestic violence against girlfriends and wives are unfortunately not uncommon. Additionally, certain tourism-related businesses, such as surf schools, may be controlled by gangs. After 5 months in the country, I can say: don't go.

2 years ago

Colombo is okay. It's definitely challenging compared to other cities in the world. It's not convenient. Finding good restaurants is difficult, and the food and drinks are a hit or miss. You'll find better food in the south of Sri Lanka.

Everyone will try to scam and overcharge you for everything.

Tuktuks are incredibly cheap, so you don't need to walk. 100 rupees per 1km. They have an app called Pick Me, but it's not your usual Uber. After it finds a driver, the driver will usually call you and ask where you are going (? the app doesn't show the location for them) and how much you'll pay (?). Most of the time, they won't move, so you have to cancel the ride and find another driver (thankfully, they don't charge for canceling rides).

Also, tuk-tuks have local gangs/cartels and won't let Pick Me drivers pick you up there, so you have to walk a bit far from where the tuk-tuks are parked; otherwise, the app drivers will be terrified of them - I've seen them argue and threat the Pick Me drivers.

2 years ago

Sri Lanka is a beautiful country with great surf. But it is very expensive and the wifi is atrocious. It is not a digital nomad's destination. Was very surprised by the cost of food Western and Sri Lankan. There are MUCH cheaper & better options in Japan or Korea! Of course, they have just suffered from a financial melt down and so anything imported is very expensive. I am an Aussie and its is a very expensive place to live. The prices charged in Sri Lanka to eat out are equal (or more!) than those in Oz. Had a simple breakfast in a pretty ordinary cafe the other day and two coffees and a simple breakfast was 30 USD! I have been here a couple of months and have an Aussie-Sri Lankan mate that has done the very best to introduce me to the best Sri Lankan street food which basically consists of overcooked curries and rice for around 12 USD. After 20 years of living on & off in Chiang Mai, it does come as a bit of a shock. The one thing though that is absolutely fantastic are the Sri Lankan people who are absolute sweethearts. And did I mention the killer surf?

3 years ago

Sri Lanka is a great country to visit and explore on vacation, but it is not good for nomading.
The internet is the worst I've experienced in 3 years of travelling around SE Asia. Usually I would supplement terrible wifi with mobile data but I found this also terrible. I visited several places in Sri Lanka, including supposedly up-and-coming nomad destination Welligama. There are very few cafes that are fit for working (almost none with AC/power), Western food is expensive (and so is Sri Lankan food if you're in an area that is suitable for working online), and most of the accommodation is quite expensive if you want high standards. Definitely visit this beautiful country with it's friendly local people, but don't expect to be productive here.

6 years ago

✅ Killer surf

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Very safe

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ High quality of education

✅ Roads are pretty safe

✅ Democratic

✅ Very safe for women

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

✅ Not a lot of alcohol abuse

❌ Very expensive

❌ Unreliable wifi

❌ Frequent scams

❌ Unsafe for women

❌ Poor food quality

❌ Gang/cartel control over services

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ Pretty slow internet

❌ Very sweaty and humid now

❌ Difficult to do business

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not family friendly

❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

33°C / 91°F hot

36°C / 97°F hot

35°C / 95°F hot

36°C / 97°F hot

33°C / 91°F hot

34°C / 93°F hot

33°C / 91°F hot

35°C / 95°F hot

Real (median)

28°C / 82°F
very warm

30°C / 85°F
very warm

29°C / 84°F
very warm

30°C / 85°F
very warm

29°C / 84°F
very warm

28°C / 82°F
very warm

29°C / 84°F
very warm

Humidity

sweaty
88%

sweaty
82%

sweaty
83%

sweaty
87%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
90%

sweaty
89%

sweaty
88%

sweaty
83%

Most common

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

dry
29mm

rainy
58mm

rainy
89mm

rainy
178mm

rainy
292mm

rainy
296mm

rainy
199mm

rainy
184mm

rainy
237mm

rainy
372mm

rainy
315mm

rainy
148mm

Cloud

cloudy
51%

pockets
29%

pockets
45%

pockets
41%

cloudy
56%

cloudy
53%

cloudy
57%

cloudy
60%

cloudy
55%

cloudy
56%

cloudy
58%

pockets
39%

Air quality

bad
120 US AQI

bad
106 US AQI

okay
97 US AQI

okay
70 US AQI

okay
63 US AQI

okay
55 US AQI

okay
63 US AQI

okay
55 US AQI

okay
64 US AQI

okay
72 US AQI

okay
95 US AQI

okay
96 US AQI

Sun

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

Remote workers

723 people

967 people

800 people

600 people

380 people

333 people

400 people

556 people

360 people

400 people

483 people

633 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

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$1,553 / mo

18 Mbps

Vietnam

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🙂 Good

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 2° 36° 4° 40° AQI 46

✈️11h

$4,538 / mo

🌇 Also went here104 people

Paris

France

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.72/5 (Rank #450) 271 reviews
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,266 / mo
📡 Internet	😡 Slow: 9 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Good
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Too hot: 30°C85°F (feels 35°C95°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🥵 Sweaty: 71%
💨 Air quality (now)	😐 Moderate: 56 US AQI
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 64 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
👩 Safe for women	Good
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Bad
🤮 Food safety*	Okay
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Good
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Very low: $326 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Okay
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Okay
🧳 Lost luggage*	Bad
🏥 Hospitals	Bad
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Okay
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Good
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	Asia
🚩 Country	Sri Lanka
🗓️ Average trip length	6 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	9 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 30°C 85°F + 🥵 Sweaty (71%) = feels 35°C 95°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👍 56 US AQI 🍃 OK
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 64 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Pickme
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 1,000 LKR in USD	USD 3.23
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	LKR 100,000 = USD 323
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
☕️ Best coffee place	Coco Veranda
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍14% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	1,130,000 visitors
📸 Tourists now	21,656 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	650,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$3,910 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 57% 👱‍♀️ 43%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 85% 👱‍♀️ 15%
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Sri Lankan Airlines
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Sri Lankan Airlines
🏥 Best hospital	Durdans

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,266 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$667 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$1,360 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$389 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$833 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,245 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$242 / month
🏠 Median home price	$225,471
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$39 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$41 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$276 / month
🍛 Dinner	$1
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$0
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$2
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$482 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$1 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$1 / trip