Land for sale in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo District has 609 live listings on Perch & Acre, 228 of them plots of land advertised at LKR 225,000 to LKR 37,735,849 per perch (November 2026); here they are, area by area.
Colombo District is Sri Lanka's city market: the Colombo Municipal Council area, numbered by postal area from Colombo 1 (Fort) to Colombo 15, and the suburbs that run south along the coast to Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Moratuwa and inland to Kotte, the legislative capital, and on to Battaramulla, Malabe and Maharagama. Land here is sold by the perch, as everywhere on the island, and the listings are a mix of building plots and houses.
Land for sale in Colombo, area by area
How do the Colombo areas compare?
| Area | Live listings | Plots of land | Land asking price per perch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo 3 (Kollupitiya) | 24 | 14 | LKR 18,000,000 to LKR 37,735,849 (n = 14) |
| Colombo 4 (Bambalapitiya) | 15 | 11 | LKR 9,990,000 to LKR 23,030,303 (n = 11) |
| Colombo 5 (Havelock Town, Kirulapone) | 68 | 32 | LKR 6,000,000 to LKR 20,000,000 (n = 32) |
| Colombo 6 (Wellawatte) | 10 | 4 | LKR 8,000,000 to LKR 11,000,000 (n = 4) |
| Colombo 7 (Cinnamon Gardens) | 23 | 6 | LKR 16,000,000 to LKR 28,000,000 (n = 6) |
| Colombo 8 (Borella) | 12 | 9 | LKR 6,000,000 to LKR 17,000,000 (n = 9) |
| Kotte (Rajagiriya, Nawala) | 87 | 28 | LKR 3,000,000 to LKR 12,500,000 (n = 28) |
| Battaramulla | 71 | 17 | LKR 1,000,000 to LKR 7,500,000 (n = 17) |
| Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | 49 | 18 | LKR 4,064,079 (median, n = 18) |
| Nugegoda | 46 | 15 | LKR 5,000,000 (median, n = 15) |
| Thalawathugoda | 43 | 24 | LKR 1,500,000 to LKR 5,000,000 (n = 24) |
| Malabe | 41 | 8 | LKR 1,200,000 to LKR 2,250,000 (n = 8) |
| Kesbewa (Piliyandala) | 22 | 6 | LKR 480,000 to LKR 2,200,000 (n = 6) |
| Boralesgamuwa | 14 | 5 | LKR 975,000 to LKR 4,736,842 (n = 5) |
| Moratuwa | 12 | 2 | LKR 1,500,000 to LKR 1,700,000 (n = 2) |
| Athurugiriya | 11 | 2 | LKR 600,000 to LKR 1,100,000 (n = 2) |
| Pannipitiya | 9 | 4 | LKR 1,075,000 to LKR 1,700,000 (n = 4) |
| Maharagama | 9 | 5 | LKR 2,000,000 to LKR 4,000,000 (n = 5) |
Prices: live asking prices on 6 November 2026; a median is shown only when an area has at least 8 plots and no agency supplies more than a third. Houses are left out of the price per perch. These are asking prices, not sale prices.
Elsewhere in Colombo District
Listings in Angoda, Colombo (other postal areas), Hokandara, Homagama, Kaduwela, Kiriwaththuduwa, Kottawa, Padukka, where we do not have a separate page yet.
Open Colombo in the map search
How much does land cost in Colombo?
We do not publish a median for Colombo, because one agency supplies 94 of the 228 plots, more than a third. The 228 live plots are advertised at LKR 225,000 to LKR 37,735,849 per perch, or LKR 2,475,000 to LKR 2,226,000,000 for the whole plot (about USD 7,400 to USD 6,693,000). The 381 houses listed here, land included, run from LKR 14,500,000 to LKR 1,660,000,000. These are asking prices, not sale prices.
Where in Colombo should I look?
Inside the city, we have a page for each of Colombo 3 (Kollupitiya), Colombo 4 (Bambalapitiya), Colombo 5 (Havelock Town and Kirulapone), Colombo 6 (Wellawatte), Colombo 7 (Cinnamon Gardens) and Colombo 8 (Borella). Colombo 3, 4 and 6 run along Galle Road with the Indian Ocean on their western side; Colombo 7 is the city's tree-lined embassy district, with Viharamahadevi Park and Independence Square. East of the city, Kotte holds Parliament, on an island in the Diyawanna Oya lake, and Battaramulla next to it has many government head offices. South, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is a coastal municipality on Galle Road and the Coastal railway line. Further out, Nugegoda, Maharagama, Thalawathugoda, Malabe and Kesbewa are residential suburbs where plots are larger and asking prices per perch lower; compare them in the table above.
Can a foreigner buy property in Colombo?
Not land, and not a house with its land, freehold: since the Land (Restrictions on Alienation) Act No. 38 of 2014 a foreign national cannot take freehold title to land anywhere in Sri Lanka. A foreigner can lease land for up to 99 years. The exception that matters in Colombo is the condominium apartment: since Amendment Act No. 21 of 2018 a foreigner may buy a condominium parcel on any floor, freehold, if the full price is paid upfront by inward foreign remittance before the deed is executed. The listings on these pages are plots and houses, so for a foreign buyer they are lease candidates, not freehold purchases.
Buying in Colombo from abroad: diaspora and dual citizens
Sri Lankan citizens living abroad buy here like any other citizen, and dual citizens are exempt from the 2014 restriction on land. Bring the purchase money in through an Inward Investment Account (IIA) at a licensed bank in your own name: the documented inward remittance is what lets you send rental income and sale proceeds back out later. Agree the structure with your own lawyer before you pay a deposit.
Planning, street lines and the coastal zone: what to check in Colombo
In the city and its suburbs the checks are about planning rather than the beach. In areas declared under the Urban Development Authority Law, building needs a development permit under the UDA Planning and Development Regulations 2021, and a newly subdivided lot must be at least 150 m² (about 6 perches), or 250 m² without pipe-borne water. Ask the local authority (municipal or urban council) for the street line and building line certificates and a non-vesting certificate, which confirms that the land is not being acquired, for example for road widening. Seafront plots in Colombo 3, 4 and 6, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Moratuwa are inside the 300 m coastal zone, where building needs a Coast Conservation permit (section 14 of the Coast Conservation Act No. 57 of 1981).
Buying guides for Colombo
- Can a foreigner buy land in Sri Lanka?
- Buying an apartment in Sri Lanka as a foreigner
- The 99-year lease in Sri Lanka explained
- Buying land in Sri Lanka from abroad: a guide for diaspora buyers and dual citizens
- Buying property in Sri Lanka on a visa: what each visa allows in 2026
- How to send money to Sri Lanka to buy property (and get it out again)
- How to check a land deed in Sri Lanka: title search, extracts and survey plan
- Stamp duty, legal fees and the real cost of buying land in Sri Lanka
Can a foreigner buy land or a house in Colombo?
Not freehold. Since the Land (Restrictions on Alienation) Act No. 38 of 2014 a foreign national cannot take freehold title to land anywhere in Sri Lanka, Colombo included, and a house goes with its land. A foreigner can lease land for up to 99 years or inherit it, and dual citizens are exempt. Read can a foreigner buy land in Sri Lanka and the 99-year lease explained.
Can a foreigner buy an apartment in Colombo?
Yes, a condominium apartment. Since Amendment Act No. 21 of 2018 a foreigner may buy a condominium parcel on any floor, freehold, provided the full price is paid upfront by inward foreign remittance before the deed is executed. The building must have a registered condominium plan. See buying an apartment in Sri Lanka as a foreigner.
What does it cost to buy land in Colombo on top of the price?
Budget 5% to 7% on top of the purchase price: stamp duty of 3% on the first Rs 100,000 and 4% on the balance, legal fees of 1% to 2%, plus survey and registration. For a 99-year lease, stamp duty is 2% of the aggregate rent instead (since 1 April 2025); confirm the rates with your lawyer. Full breakdown: stamp duty, legal fees and the real cost of buying land.
I live abroad. How do I buy in Colombo?
Sri Lankan citizens abroad and dual citizens buy as citizens. Send the money through an Inward Investment Account in your own name so the remittance is documented, have your own lawyer run a 30-year title search, and sign in person or through a power of attorney your lawyer prepares. See buying land in Sri Lanka from abroad and sending money to buy property.
Tools: work out stamp duty and fees · land terms glossary · monthly price index.
Nearby towns
Colombo areas: Colombo 3, Colombo 4, Colombo 5, Colombo 6, Colombo 7, Colombo 8, Kotte, Battaramulla, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Nugegoda, Thalawathugoda, Malabe, Kesbewa, Boralesgamuwa, Moratuwa, Athurugiriya, Pannipitiya, Maharagama. Or the coast: every town on the south and east coasts.
Sources
- Colombo: commercial capital since 1978, Colombo Municipal Council, postal areas Colombo 1 to 15, metropolitan population about 5.6 million, Wikipedia
- Kollupitiya (Colombo 3): on the Indian Ocean and Galle Road, high-end shopping, embassies, Temple Trees, Wikipedia
- Bambalapitiya (Colombo 4): about 1.5 km² along Galle Road with the Indian Ocean to the west, schools, Majestic City, Bambalapitiya station on the Coastal line, Wikipedia
- Cinnamon Gardens (Colombo 7): tree-lined streets, embassies and high commissions, Viharamahadevi Park, Independence Square, Town Hall, National Museum, University of Colombo, Wikipedia
- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: legislative capital, Parliament on an island in the Diyawanna Oya lake, zones Pita Kotte, Ethul Kotte, Nawala, Nugegoda and Rajagiriya, Wikipedia
- Battaramulla: 8.4 km from Colombo Fort, near Parliament, Kaduwela Municipal Council, government head offices (Sethsiripaya, Isurupaya), Wikipedia
- Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: Municipal Council, south of the Colombo Municipal Council area beyond the Dehiwala canal, Galle Road and the Coastal line, National Zoological Gardens, beach, Wikipedia
- Urban Development Authority Planning and Development Regulations 2021, Gazette Extraordinary No. 2235/54 of 8 July 2021 (development permits; minimum lot 150 m², or 250 m² without pipe-borne water)
- Coast Conservation Act No. 57 of 1981, section 14 permits and the 300 m coastal zone, reported by the Daily Mirror, 13 March 2025
- Live listings and asking prices: the Perch & Acre listings database on the date shown, built from each agency's public advert.
US dollar figures are indicative, at LKR 332.6 per US dollar (Central Bank of Sri Lanka indicative rate, 30 October 2026).
General information, not legal advice. Laws and rates change; confirm every point with your own Sri Lankan lawyer before you pay a deposit.