Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anuradhapura and in Cebu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Anuradhapura and in Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $509 per month in Anuradhapura vs $918 in Cebu, rent included.

Anuradhapura $509
Cebu $918

A couple spends around $825 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,409 in Cebu, rent included.

Anuradhapura $825
Cebu $1,409

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,900 in Cebu, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,140
Cebu $1,900

Anuradhapura is about 45% cheaper than Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Anuradhapura and Cebu are more affordable than the global median – Anuradhapura 62% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 LKR 1,442

$3.09 ₱194

40.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.76 LKR 7,870

$24.22 ₱1,525

-1.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 LKR 2,529

$3.92 ₱247

94.64%

Cappuccino

$2.41 LKR 798

$2.51 ₱158

-3.98%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 LKR 237

$1.59 ₱100

-54.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.53 ₱33.43

-52.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 LKR 753

$1.78 ₱112

27.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 LKR 1,032

$2.17 ₱137

43.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 542

$1.92 ₱121

-14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$1.36 ₱85.4

-61.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 263

$1.01 ₱63.5

-20.79%

Eggs

$1.58 LKR 522

$2.03 ₱128

-22.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.03 LKR 4,648

$9.86 ₱621

42.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$4.39 ₱277

9.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$7.60 ₱479

-3.03%

Apples (1kg)

$6.89 LKR 2,283

$3.30 ₱208

108.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 275

$1.39 ₱87.8

-40.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 LKR 1,495

$2.33 ₱147

93.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.50 ₱94.3

-19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$2.36 ₱149

-56.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 251

$1.90 ₱119

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.19 ₱74.9

-22.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$0.63 ₱39.71

-25.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,412

$3.00 ₱189

243.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,498

$6.03 ₱379

125.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 651

$1.23 ₱77.7

60.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 969

$1.75 ₱110

67.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.64 ₱796

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.77 ₱48.62

-50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.23 ₱14.53

47.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 314

$4.46 ₱281

-78.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.31 ₱82.8

4.58%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

72.49%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

115.90%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

$120 ₱7,569

-54.65%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$4.33 LKR 1,436

$14.00 ₱882

-69.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.17 LKR 7,013

$27.54 ₱1,734

-23.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.33 ₱2,035

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 LKR 1,428

$5.65 ₱356

-23.72%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

$275 ₱17.3K

-86.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-84.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.84 LKR 5,910

$49.33 ₱3,106

-63.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.82 LKR 5,572

$25.24 ₱1,589

-33.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

$77.0 ₱4,846

3.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

7.2

76.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 14.1% $34

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 18.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 102% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 33% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 406% $35

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 641% $13

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Cebu

$309 33.6%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura versus $24.00 in Cebu. Groceries tell a different story – $240 in Anuradhapura vs $206 in Cebu – so Cebu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

964,169

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Anuradhapura Cebu 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Anuradhapura
Cebu

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Anuradhapura vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $509 in Anuradhapura, $918 in Cebu – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Anuradhapura and $1,377 in Cebu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura and $24.00 in Cebu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Cebu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $509 in Anuradhapura and $918 in Cebu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cebu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $509 in Anuradhapura to $918 in Cebu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Anuradhapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cebu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.