District
Colombo
The commercial and civic core, from Fort to the seafront and the tree-lined interior.
Colombo runs from the business district at Fort and the old trading streets of Pettah, out along the seafront through Kollupitiya and Bambalapitiya, and inland to the quiet, tree-lined residential zones. The numbered postal zones are a useful shorthand: Colombo 7 (Cinnamon Gardens) is the most established address, with embassies and older houses on generous plots; Colombo 3, 4 and 6 carry much of the newer apartment stock near the sea; Colombo 5 and 8 sit between the two in both character and price. What you are really choosing between here is the convenience of the core and the calm of the interior — they are minutes apart and worlds apart.
In this area
Sample listings in Colombo
Illustrative only, to show the site — real stock replaces these once supplied.
Good to know
Questions about Colombo
Common questions
Which is the best part of Colombo to live in?
There is no single best part — it depends on what you value. Colombo 7 is the most established and priciest; Colombo 3, 4 and 6 carry the seafront apartments; Colombo 5 and 8 are the more affordable central middle ground. The right zone is the one that fits your budget and your week.
Is Colombo expensive to buy in?
The inner Colombo zones are the most expensive land in the country, and Colombo District carries most of the condominium market. Prices vary enormously by zone, street and whether it is a house or an apartment, so the useful figure is an appraisal on the specific property, not a city average.
What is the difference between the Colombo postal zones?
The numbered zones are a shorthand for character and price: Colombo 7 (Cinnamon Gardens) is the established interior, Colombo 3 and 4 the seafront, Colombo 5 the central middle ground, and so on. They are minutes apart and can differ markedly in feel and value.
Is central Colombo good for families?
It can be — the interior residential zones are calmer and close to good schools — but weigh the density, traffic and parking against a suburb, where the same budget buys more space. Which suits depends on whether your week actually needs the centrality.