Wednesday, February 10, 2010

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

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