Sri Lanka, Colombo Cost of Living January 2010

LOCATION: Sri Lanka is in Southern Asia, it is an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India.

CAPITAL CITY: Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte

LARGEST CITY: Colombo

CURRENCY: Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR)

ECONOMY: Sri Lanka has a low-income developing economy. Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy and the highest per capita income in South Asia. While the production and export of tea, rubber, coffee, sugar and other agricultural commodities remains important, the nation has moved steadily towards an industrialized economy with the development of food processing, textiles, telecommunications and finance.

Colombo has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Colombo is currently ranked 265 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations. The cost of living overview for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs for alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 180 out of 276.

Clothing costs for clothing and footwear products such as business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 272 out of 276.

Communication costs for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 162 out of 276.

Education costs such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 241 out of 276.

Furniture & Appliance costs for furniture, household equipment and household appliances such as dvd player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 273 out of 276.

Grocery costs for food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 245 out of 276.

Healthcare costs for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance such as general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 240 out of 276.

Household costs for housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes such as house / flat mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 238 out of 276.

Miscellaneous costs related to stationary, linen and general goods and services such as domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 275 out of 276.

Personal Care costs for personal care products and services such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 182 out of 276.

Recreation and Culture costs such as books, camera film, cinema ticket, DVD and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 248 out of 276.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs such as business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food) is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 229 out of 276.

Transport costs for public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance such as hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 223 out of 276.

Your exact customized cost of living index for Colombo is based on which of the above basket groups as well as the comparison location you select in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Colombo is ranked as a high degree of hardship location with a hardship index of 30%.

Your exact customized hardship index premium for Colombo is based on the comparison location that you select in the Calculators.

Sri Lanka, cost of living....

Ok, so here are some cost of living stats to get you thinking ..... If you are moving to Sri Lanka, thinking about it, retiring, or just want to live there because you love the country....here are some thoughts on daily costs.

We work on 13 baskets at Xpatulator.com, I have priced some of the more widely used products below for your convenience :

Alcohol and Tobacco - COL rank of 180 out of 276 countries
Cigarettes (20s) $3.14 - $9
Imported Beer at a bar $1.92
Imported Beer at a shop $1.22
Domestic Beer(500ml) $2.50
Imported Beer (330ml) $5.80
Domestic Spirit in a bar $1.75 (50ml tot)
Domestic Spirit in a shop $0.58 (50ml tot)
Black Label Whiskey at a bar $4 (50ml tot)
Black Label in a shop $3.80 (50ml tot)
Wine at a bar $6 a glass
Wine at a shop $15 (750ml bottle)

Clothing - COL rank of 272 out of 276 countries
Handbag $13
Casual Long sleeved Shirt (Men) $12
Casual Long sleeved trousers (Men) $20
Shorts (Men) $11
T-Shirt (Men) $6
Casual Blouse (Women) $7
Casual Skirt (Women) $12
Children’s Jeans (Boys) $5
Children’s Jeans (Girls) $3.50
Children’s Shirt(Boys) $5
Children’s Shirt(Girls) $4
Children’s Skirt(Girls) $2.50
Casual Shoes (Men) $13
Casual Shoes (Women) $18

Communication - COL rank of 162 out of 276 countries
Monthly phone rental $4.36
Phone call rate $0.05 for a local call
Internet line connection fee $104 (buy all equipment with installation)
Internet service provider fee $17 (1 geg free thereafter)
Monthly mobile contract fee $2.18 (for the year)
Mobile / cellular call rate 90% of phones are prepaid,
Mobile Phone 100 Minutes Call $38
$0.012 - $0.05 sms peak times
Casual Skirt (Women) $12
Children’s Jeans (Boys) $5

Education - COL rank of 241 out of 276 countries
Annual Creche / pre-paid fee $4.36 per month
Annual Primary school fee $260 - $436 per month
Annual High School fee $260 - $436 per month
Annual 1st Year Tertiary / University fee $260 - $436 per month
*(dependent on which private school they go to)

Furniture and Appliances - COL rank of 273 out of 276 countries
DVD Player $87
Fridge / Freezer $489 (LG / Whirlpool – 4 year guarantee)
Iron $12 cheap - $35 top of the range
Kettle $20 cheap - $37 top of the range
Microwave $191
Light Bulbs $4.36
TV 21 inch $244 (2 year guarantee)
Vacuum Cleaner $260
Washing Machine LG $570
* Discounts can be negotiated with stores on all items

Groceries - COL rank of 245 out of 276 countries
Baby consumables
Powdered formula (400g) $7
Baked Goods
Plain biscuits (100g) $0.20
Loaf white bread (200g) $0.70
Bran crackers (200g) $0.65
Baking
Cake Flour (1kg) $2.80
Canned foods
Baked Beans (415g) $1.92
Fruit Salad (825g) $27
Tuna (185g) $2.75
Cheese : Cheddar (250g) $6.63
Crisps : Pringles (139g) $2.50
Cleaning products
Autowash clothing powder (750g) $1.57
Dishwash liquid (500g) $0.87
Clothing Softener (2l) $5.40
Dairy
Breakfast Cereal (250g) $2.45
Butter (227g) $2.18
Smooth Cream Cheese (150g) $2.70
Fresh Cheese (1kg) $17
Milk (1l) $1.40
Eggs (12) $1.80
Fruit Juice
Apple Juice (1l) $2.80
Orange Juice (1l) $2.80
Frozen
Mixed Vegetables (1kg) $6.20
Oil and vinegar
Cooking oil (1l) $3.22
Olive oil (500ml) $8.28
Sesame oil (300g) $6.63
Drinks
Soft drinks (355ml)
Can of coke (355ml) $1.00
Coke (1l) $1.40
Local Fizzy Soft Drink (1l) $1.30
Local Fizzy Soft Drink (500ml) $0.65
Local Natural Mineral Water (5l) $1.08
Tea Bags (200g) $1.85
Instant Coffee (100g) $6.75
Local Ground Coffee (200g) $3.66
Spices and Herbs
Salt (400g) $0.26
Pepper (400g) $0.35

Healthcare - COL rank of 240 out of 276 countries
GP Private rate visit with meds $3.50
Hospital Private ward rates $28 per day
Dentistry – Tooth extraction $4.35
* Most expats use Bupa or the Sri Lankan Equivalent

Household - COL rank of 238 out of 276 countries
Expats cannot buy a property directly, this has to be done via a Lawyer who owns the property.
Mortgage 4/5% of value of property
Rent 2 bed Apartment City Centre $700
Rent 2 bed Apartment outside of City Centre $600
Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage per household $80 - $90 per month/average HH
Gas / Fuel – 12 ½ kg bottle $14
Local property Rates 8 – 10% of value of property

Miscellaneous - COL rank of 275 out of 276 countries
Domestic Rates – full time per person $80 average
Office Supplies
1 Black inkjet printer cartridge $14
1 Color inkjet printer cartridge $21
500 sheets printer paper $5.23
Newspapers and Magazines
Local Daily Newspaper $0.17
International Daily Newspaper $0.45
International Magazine $20
Stamps
International Airmail Stamps $0.22
Domestic Stamps $0.12

Personal Care - COL rank of 182 out of 276 countries
Moisturizer
Body lotion (400ml) Vaseline Intensive car $4.53
Sunblock (125ml) Nivea $18.30
Disposable Nappies (16) $4.80
Toilet paper 1 ply per roll $0.50
Toothpaste (200g) $1.92
Shampoo (200ml) $2.40

Recreation and Culture - COL rank of 248 out of 276 countries
Books paper back $10
Cinema ticket $0.50
DVD Imported $2
CD Imported $2
Cricket ticket $0.50 to $8
Theatre Ticket $30

Restaurants / Meals out / Hotels - COL rank of 229 out of 276 countries
Business Dinner excl Alcohol $22 per person
Dinner at Restaurant $20 per person
Dinner / lunch at local restaurant $8 per person
Mc Donalds Big Mac $4.10
Hotel Rates 3* $20 - $50 pppn
Hotel Rates 4* $80 - $120 pppn
Hotel Rates 5* $140 pppn upwards
Take Away
Can of coke x 1 $0.70
Medium pizza $3.50
Hamburger $2.00
Sandwich $2.00
Coffee – pot x 3 cups $1.40

Transport - COL rank of 223 out of 276 countries
Hire / Lease car – Sedan Toyota Corrola $37.14 per day for 1 week
Hire / Lease car – Toyota RAV4 $46.71 per day for 1 week
Petrol unleaded per litre $1.23
Diesel per litre $0.64
Public Transport
Bus Ticket (one way) $1.00
Taxi Ride – per km $0.50
Tuc Tuc – 10 km ride $6.00
Train Tickets
2nd class $1.57
3rd class $0.96


Colombo has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Colombo is currently ranked 265 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Colombo is ranked as a high degree of hardship location with a hardship index of 30%.

Source: Sri Lanka cost of living

Sri Lanka, the soft side of Expat Living

An Expat Lifestyle

From an expat perspective, I could not fault the lifestyle.
Beaches stretch on forever, the natural beauty of the island is encompassed with a jungle filled with coconut and banana trees, tea plantations, herbs, spices and flowers. The nature reserves are beautiful with elephant, crocodile, leopard and buck. Monitors swim the canals freely and the bird life (beautiful green parrots) live in abundance, keeping the bug life at bay for natural organic farming.

As said yesterday, yes there are first world pleasures missing, life is slower, it takes a good 4 – 6 hours to get from one part of the island to another. No there are no big supermarkets, Marks @ Spence or Carrefoures down the road, but the local town markets and small supermarkets have everything you need. Clothing shops are fairly cheap and if you look around you can find everything you need. I cannot say that the roads are particularly in good condition, but in the 10 days that I visited, I did not see one accident, aggression or particularly bad driving. People were polite and moved out of each others way when you wanted to pass. There is apparently a highway in development from the North to the South of the island, which will make traveling a lot easier and faster.

Hardships could include the lack of the highway for the moment, the lack of a fast internet connection, perhaps the human waste / refuse, which allows for the influx of flies, the dirt which is left to lie around and lastly the lack of funds to rebuild the country after the Tsunami and Tamil Tiger uprisings. There are also the ongoing political threats. We saw many roadblocks and armed soldiers, although everything was peaceful, there was still the underlying feeling that not all is well.

Having said that I have to look at all the good things that you find there, the beauty of the natural resources, of the people, the beaches, game parks and mountains. This is truly a beautiful part of the world.

Tomorrow, I will look more closely at the cost of living in Sri Lanka from an Expat perspective ......

Sri Lanka, Colombo - The Tea Country.....

My trip to Sri Lanka was very diverse to say the least and reminded me very much of Mauritius, Sychelles, Bali and most islands in the Indian Ocean.


Some facts:

Sri Lanka is in Southern Asia, it is an island in the Indian Ocean, south of India.

Sri Lanka has a low-income developing economy. Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy and the highest per capita income in South Asia. While the production and export of tea, rubber, coffee, sugar and other agricultural commodities remains important, the nation has moved steadily towards an industrialized economy with the development of food processing, textiles, telecommunications and finance.

Colombo has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Colombo is currently ranked 265 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations.


Personal experience:

People, animals and transport seem to co-exist side by side with no animosity or restraint. Dogs wonder aimlessly across roads or bask in the sun on the side walks, cows and goats roam around everywhere, even on the beaches (which I found rather amusing) and people are everywhere, whether walking, cycling, using a tuc-tuc, motorbike with 5 astride, in a taxi, bus, car or truck, each takes up a space of the not too wide road.
Co-exist they do, there is no anger at being stuck behind a truck, merely a short tooting of the horn to say I am here and would like to overtake you, politeness abounds and the expression and sounds are all of friendliness, within a country that sorely needs help at redeveloping itself since the tsunami and Tamil Tiger war. People are poor and yet happy and friendly. Not just for the child on the hip or the person at their side, but for everyone.

Tourists flock towards the resorts and some chance the areas slightly outside of these areas, to experience a quieter less harassed holiday. Small pockets of expats can be found, dotted all over the country. When you bump into these people and chat about life on the island, there is not much to complain about. Yes, sometimes the water or electricity gets turned off, yes the internet is not as fast as they would like it to be. In this little piece of paradise, expats are not too concerned that it takes a little longer to do things here, the people are prepared to wait, not too hasty to move forward too quickly. Really all they want is a comfortable existence, one that provides for a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs and a safe nights sleep. 70% of the population are Budhasts, which explains the simplicity of life. The better you are in this life the sooner you will reach the divine being.

Tomorrow I will write a bit more about Expat life on the island .....