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Expat Life In Sri Lanka, Colombo
Recently I visited the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, and found a land full of surprises.
Sri Lanka located south of India, the Indian Ocean. Once known as Dominion of Ceylon, and often known as a land of tea, tea plantations grow abundantly on the island, with spices Gardens, banana and coconut trees grow randomly on a jungle to create natural resources.
People, animals and traffic seem to exist side by side side by side without animosity toward each other. Dogs wonder about aimlessly or bask in the sun on the side of roads, cows and goats roam about everywhere, even on the beaches (which I found rather amusing) and people are everywhere, whether walking, cycling, with a TUC TUC, motorcycle with five astride, in a taxi, bus, car or Trucks, each one takes an area of not-too-wide street. But they do coexist, there is no anger behind a truck, only to say a short horns of the horn, I 'm here and would like to pass, full courtesy and the expression and the sounds are all kindness, in a country that desperately needs help in the rehabilitation itself since the tsunami. People are poor and yet happiness is everywhere …. Not only for the child on the hip or the person on their side, but for expats and tourists.
Tourists in the resort and direction vary some chance the areas just outside these areas in order molested a quieter experience less vacation. Small pockets of expats found can be dotted around the country. If you encounter these people and talk about life on the island there is not much to complain. Yes, sometimes gets the water or the Power on, so the Internet is not as fast as they want to be. Is not that how most people feel in the developed countries, anyway: the faster it is, the faster we want. In this little piece of paradise, Expats not too concerned that there a little longer to do things here, provide that the people are ready wait, do not move too quickly, too quickly to the front. There was much talk and concern about the elections and security in the country and there are police road blocks and / Military personnel with guns wandering around the maintenance of peace, if necessary. However, with 70% of the population are Buddhists, is the lifestyle and the peaceful life easier.
From an expat perspective, I could not fault of the lifestyle. As noted above, yes there are certain things missing, things are slower, it takes a good 4-6 Hours in order to get apart from Colombo to Galle and in a similar way everywhere about 200km's. I can not say that the roads are mainly in good condition, But in the 10 days that I visited, I did not see an accident. Hardship to the shortage could quickly from one part of the island to another, the lack of fast Internet connection, Perhaps human waste / refuse that allows for the influx of flies, the dirt, the left lying around and eventually the lack of funding for reconstruction the country is what it was before the tsunami.
Apart from that, I have to look at all the good things you find there, the beauty of the natural resources, as nationals and foreigners trying to rebuild the country again, the beaches, wildlife parks and mountains. This is really a beautiful part of the world.
Expat living Summary
The currency in Sri Lanka is the Sri Lanka Rupee LKR
The exchange rate 15th January 2010 was $ 1 = 114.217 rupees
I'm going to break the cost of living, broken down by some of the Xpatualtor Shopping Cart Items:
Alcohol and tobacco: alcohol at the bar, beer, cigarettes, Locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine
Cigarettes (20s) – $ 3.14 – $ 9
Local beer (500ml) – $ 2.50
Imported Beer (330ml) – $ 5.80
Wine in a bar – $ 6 a glass
Wine in a store – $ 15 (750ml bottle)
Hotels tend to alcohol increases the prices of the profit, as it is the only way that they can make one. There are many small hotels and restaurants that provide a competitive advantage to stay where you create.
Dress: Business Suits, Casual Clothing, Children's clothing and shoes, coats and hats, evening dresses, shoe repair, Lingerie
Casual Long Sleeve Shirt (Men) – $ 12
Casual trousers (men sleeves) – $ 20
Shorts (men) – $ 11
T-Shirt (Men) – $ 6
Casual blouse (women) – 7 USD
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
Clothes is very cheap in Colombo may call a person a large part of the brand clothes at relatively low prices in factories.
Communication : Home telephone rental and call charges, Internet Connection Service Providers and charges, mobile / cell phone contract and asks
Monthly Mobile Phone Rental – $ 4.36
Phone call rate – $ 0.05 for a local call
Internet line connection fee – $ 104 (Buy all the equipment with installation)
Internet Service Provider fee – $ 17 (after a geg free)
Monthly fee Mobile contract – $ 2.18 (for year)
Mobile / cellular call rate – 90% of the pre-paid phones are
Mobile Phone Call 100 minutes – $ 38
– $ 0.012 – $ 0.05 SMS peak
so many of the relatives working abroad back home to send the money through, communication costs are extremely low and there are often special Tenders or no cost is involved in the actual call.
Education: Kindergarten / Pre-School Fees, High School / college fees, Primary School fees, tertiary fees
Creche Annual fee – $ 4.36 per month
Annual fee elementary school – $ 260 – $ 436 per month
Annual Fee High School – $ 260 – $ 436 per month
1st Annual Years tertiary / university fees – $ 260 – $ 436 per month (depending on the
private school they go)
Private schools is the most expensive on the island for expat children To visit but the prices compared to other countries is appropriate. Expats that I met spoke highly of the education system of the country and were happy with the private education that their children received.
Furniture and equipment: DVD player, fridge freezer, iron, Kettle, toaster, microwave, lamps, TVs, vacuum cleaners, washing machine
DVD Player – $ 87
Fridge Freezer – $ 489 (LG / Whirlpool – 4 year warranty)
Iron – $ 12 cheaper – $ 35 on top of the range
Boiler – $ 20 cheaper – $ 37 on top of the range
Microwave – $ 191
TV 21 inches – $ 244 (2 years guarantee)
LG washing machine – $ 570
Discounts can be negotiated with all the objects Stocks of
Food bought in a grocery store: baby supplies, baked goods, Baking, preserves, cheese, cleaning products, dairy products, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, frozen food, meat, oil & vinegar Pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, fish and seafood, snacks, soft drinks, Spices & Herbs
Powdered baby formula (400g) – $ 7
Biscuits (100g) – $ 0.20
Loaf of white bread (200g) – $ 0.70
Cake flour (1kg) – $ 2.80
Baked Beans (415g) – $ 1.92
Tuna (185g) – $ 2.75
Cheese: Cheddar (250g) – $ 6.63
Chips: Pringles (139g) – $ 2.50
Car washing clothes powder (750g) – $ 1.57
Dishwashing liquid (500g) – $ 0.87
Clothes softener (2l) – $ 5.40
Breakfast cereal (250g) – 2.45 USD
Butter (227g) – $ 2.18
Milk (1l) – $ 1.40
Eggs (12) – $ 1.80
Orange Juice (1 liter) – $ 2.80
Frozen mixed vegetables (1kg) – $ 6.20
Cooking Oil (1 liter) – $ 3.22
Olive oil (500ml) – $ 8.28
Coke (355ml) – $ 1.00
Local Fizzy soft drink (1 liter) – $ 1.30
Local natural mineral water (5l) – $ 1.08
Tea bags (200g) – $ 1.85
Instant Coffee (100g) – $ 6.75
Local ground coffee (200g) – $ 3.66
Salt (400g) – $ 0.26
Pepper (400g) – $ 0.35
Grocery Prices were obtained from local, there are no large department stores to shop in.
Health Care: General practitioner advice Rates, Private Hospital Ward Daily rate, non-prescription medicines, Private Health Insurance / Medical Aid Contributions
Private GP visit rate with meds – $ 3.50
Private Hospital Ward prices – $ 28 per day
Dentistry – Extraction – $ 4.35
Most expats use Bupa or the Sri Lankan equivalent
Budget: House / Flat Mortgage, house / apartment rent, the electricity consumption of households Domestic gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, local property prices / taxes / duties
Rent 2-bed apartment City Centre – $ 700
Rent 2-bed apartment outside the center – $ 600
Electricity, gas, water, garbage per – $ 80 – $ 90 per month for an average
Budget, this is more expensive when taking into account household air conditioners
Gas / Fuel – 12 ½ kg bottle – $ 14
Local property prices – 80-10% of the value of the property
Expats can not directly buy a property, this has done to the locals for a lawyer, the owner of the property. Mortgage is 5.4%. This is where most expats find the cost creep in, run the air conditioning is extremely expensive, and the cost of water.
Miscellaneous: financial assistance, dry cleaning, linen, stationery, newspapers and magazines, stamps
Domestic rates – full-time per person – $ 80 Average
1 Black Inkjet printer cartridges – $ 14
A color inkjet printer cartridge – $ 21
500 sheets of printer paper – $ 5.23
Local Newspaper – $ 0.17
International newspaper – $ 0.45
International Magazine – $ 20
International airmail stamps – $ 0.22
Domestic Stamps – $ 0.12
Domestic Help is cheap and most people either live on the property or nearby. Office supplies, are reasonable, with CD's and DVD's available for free on the street where most locals . Buy
Personal Care: Cosmetics, Hair Care, Moisturiser / Sun block, diapers, Pain relief tablets, toilet paper, Toothpaste, soap / Shampoo / Conditioner
Body Lotion (400ml) Vaseline Intensive Car – $ 4.53
1-ply toilet paper per roll – $ 0.50
Toothpaste (200g) – $ 1.92
Shampoo (200ml) – $ 2.40
Some of the elements, the products of the brand can be bought can be expensive, such as creams, sunblock and cosmetic creams. Name are the most expensive.
Recreation and culture: books, Camera film, cinema tickets, DVD's and CD's, sports, theater ticket
Paper back books – $ 10
Movie ticket – $ 0.50
DVD / CD imports – $ 2
Cricket tickets – $ 0.50 to $ 8
Theater Ticket – only in Colombo – $ 30
Hardcover Books are expensive in the country, but paper back books are of a similar cost for the U.S. and Britain. Tickets are cheap, due to the availability of cheap DVD copies that can be bought on the street corners. International Cricket Tickets are also considered cheap for the local population.
Restaurants / Dishes / Hotels: Business Dinner, Dinner in the restaurant (not fast food), hotel prices, Take Away Drinks & Snacks (Fast Food)
Business Dinner excl alcohol – $ 22 per person
Dinner / Lunch at a local restaurant – $ 8 per person
Mc Donald's Big Mac – $ 4.10
3 * hotel prices – $ 8 – $ 50 pppn
4 * Hotel prices – $ 80 – $ 120 pppn
5 * hotel prices – $ 140 pppn top
Take Away – can of coke x 1 – $ 0.70
Pizza Medium – $ 3.50
Hamburger – $ 2.00
Coffee – x pot 3 cups – $ 1.40
As in most countries, how much do you pay for a meal depends, is where you go, local restaurants have great local dishes and international cuisine, we found a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in Galle, worth a visit, and all prices were pretty cheap. Some restaurants use the population and tourists Sub Standard serve meals. However, most restaurants with good portions and meal plans.
Transportation: Rent to own / lease of vehicles, Petrol / diesel, public transport, service, maintenance, tires, car insurance, car buying
Leases car – Toyota Corolla Sedan – $ 37.14 per day for 1 weeks
Leases car – Toyota RAV4 – $ 46.71 per day for 1 week
Unleaded petrol per liter – $ 1.23
Diesel per liter – $ 0.64
Bus ticket (one way) – $ 1.00
Taxi Ride – per km – $ 0.50
Tuc Tuc – 10 km ride – $ 6.00
Train ticket 2 Class – $ 1.57
If your visit, I would suggest that the local taxis and TUC TACs can experience driving a head-ache and unpleasant when you are not the local standards. However, do not speed over 80 km of walking on the major roads and a total of driving a safe place.
The detailed above are some of the elements that form the basis of several indices of living costs for international basket-groups, then these costs with their indexes and exchange rates used to calculate the cost of living in different places.
About the Author
Steven Coleman is Chief Instigator at Xpatulator.com the most comprehensive global relocation calculator available, an internet service that is used primarily to calculate expatriate salary levels for global assignments, which can be found at http://www.xpatulator.com