Cost of living comparison
compared to
Colombo vs. Dakar Cost of Living Summary
Colombo is 34.0% cheaper than Dakar.
- Restaurants
-
pay 29.7% less in Colombo
- Groceries
-
pay 4.7% more in Colombo
- Transportation
-
pay 61.0% less in Colombo
- Housing
-
pay 62.9% less in Colombo
- Childcare
-
pay 90.2% less in Colombo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 56.4% more in Colombo
- Clothing
-
pay 55.5% less in Colombo
The cost of entertainment and sports and groceries in Colombo are more expensive than in Dakar. Expenses including childcare, housing, transportation, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Colombo.
Colombo vs. Dakar Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Colombo instead of Dakar, you would:
pay 29.7% less for restaurants
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.92
F CFA2,782
|
$4.13
LKR1,269.15
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.46
F CFA5,919
|
$8.26
LKR2,538.29
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
F CFA506
|
$0.76
LKR233.26
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.09
F CFA614
|
$0.36
LKR111.43
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.7% more for groceries
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.64
F CFA361
|
$0.52
LKR160.10
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.44
F CFA3,642
|
$6.78
LKR2,083.94
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$9.55
F CFA5,400
|
$6.70
LKR2,060.40
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.81
F CFA1,589
|
$1.95
LKR600.76
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.40
F CFA2,487
|
$2.05
LKR629.94
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.27
F CFA719
|
$3.42
LKR1,051.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.85
F CFA482
|
$0.50
LKR152.38
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.21
F CFA686
|
$2.69
LKR826.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.98
F CFA554
|
$0.55
LKR168.43
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.69
F CFA393
|
$0.51
LKR157.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
F CFA331
|
$0.58
LKR177.69
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of groceries
pay 61.0% less for transportation
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$6.70
F CFA3,792
|
$4.12
LKR1,264.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$80.49
F CFA45,531
|
$6.61
LKR2,030.64
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,116.17
F CFA20,994,738
|
$26,432.11
LKR8,122,543.83
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.12
F CFA11,383
|
$3.04
LKR934.09
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of transportation
pay 62.9% less for housing
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.58
F CFA27,480
|
$14.01
LKR4,306.40
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$940.87
F CFA532,204
|
$360.90
LKR110,903.96
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$364.90
F CFA206,406
|
$177.21
LKR54,457.87
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$119.46
F CFA67,572
|
$38.78
LKR11,916.86
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of housing
pay 90.2% less for childcare
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$268.31
F CFA151,769
|
$33.87
LKR10,407.01
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$7,289.08
F CFA4,123,063
|
$505.51
LKR155,343.65
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of childcare
pay 56.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.68
F CFA1,518
|
$2.31
LKR710.72
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.47
F CFA2,530
|
$2.67
LKR820.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.79
F CFA1,012
|
$10.24
LKR3,147.49
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$50.08
F CFA28,330
|
$13.33
LKR4,097.53
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.94
F CFA5,059
|
$3.30
LKR1,015.32
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 55.5% less for clothing
|
Dakar
|
Colombo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.32
F CFA29,595
|
$26.56
LKR8,162.73
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.70
F CFA26,981
|
$17.76
LKR5,457.33
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$110.31
F CFA62,394
|
$67.21
LKR20,653.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$131.17
F CFA74,198
|
$38.07
LKR11,700.33
|
|
Dakar vs. Colombo - Cost of clothing
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: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Senegal vs. Sri Lanka.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Senegal 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 Dakar. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.