Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $506 a month against $803 in Colombo, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anuradhapura and in Colombo

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 Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $506 per month in Anuradhapura vs $803 in Colombo, rent included.

Anuradhapura $506
Colombo $803

A couple spends around $820 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,208 in Colombo, rent included.

Anuradhapura $820
Colombo $1,208

A family of three spends $1,134 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,614 in Colombo, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,134
Colombo $1,614

Anuradhapura is about 37% cheaper than Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Anuradhapura and Colombo are more affordable than the global median – Anuradhapura 63% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 LKR 1,242

$3.77 LKR 1,250

-0.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 LKR 8,139

$25.25 LKR 8,362

-2.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 LKR 2,490

$7.61 LKR 2,519

-1.18%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 810

$2.58 LKR 856

-5.43%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$0.68 LKR 225

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.25 LKR 82.6

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 738

$2.26 LKR 748

-1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 990

$3.00 LKR 995

-0.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$1.63 LKR 541

-1.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 189

$0.57 LKR 187

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$0.79 LKR 263

2.53%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$1.70 LKR 563

-4.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 LKR 4,590

$13.65 LKR 4,522

1.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 LKR 1,630

$4.84 LKR 1,604

1.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,405

$7.62 LKR 2,525

-4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 LKR 2,208

$6.51 LKR 2,156

2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 286

$0.85 LKR 283

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,476

$4.49 LKR 1,487

-0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 418

$1.34 LKR 443

-5.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 330

$0.99 LKR 329

1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 274

$0.82 LKR 271

1.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.92 LKR 305

1.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.45 LKR 150

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 LKR 3,441

$10.17 LKR 3,370

2.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.07 LKR 4,330

$12.69 LKR 4,204

2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 648

$1.87 LKR 621

4.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 961

$2.94 LKR 973

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 LKR 57.9

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.01 LKR 2,322

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.38 LKR 124

5.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.37 LKR 124

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

$0.93 LKR 308

-5.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 443

$1.37 LKR 454

-2.19%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

0.22%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-3.00%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

$59.8 LKR 19.8K

-2.29%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,401

$4.36 LKR 1,444

-2.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.09 LKR 6,984

$20.96 LKR 6,942

0.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.22 LKR 4,710

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.65 LKR 1,870

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 LKR 1,460

$4.60 LKR 1,525

-4.13%

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

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

$37.19 LKR 12.3K

2.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

$1,224 LKR 405.3K

0.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,115

$18.18 LKR 6,020

1.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.65 LKR 5,515

$16.85 LKR 5,580

-1.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

$77.5 LKR 25.7K

3.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

0.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 LKR 187.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 LKR 90.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 LKR 498.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 LKR 140.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,742 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 LKR 384.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$253 LKR 83.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9%

Colombo

$237 29.5% 0.3% $0.8

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3%

Colombo

$105 13.1% 2.1% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6%

Colombo

$85 10.6% 1.6% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 14%

Colombo

$69 8.7% 2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7%

Colombo

$23 2.9% 166% $15

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5%

Colombo

$10 1.2% 341% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Colombo

$274 34.1%

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 $25.00 in Anuradhapura versus $25.00 in Colombo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $237 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

Same time as Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

753,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Anuradhapura Colombo 170 km

From you

Anuradhapura
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $506 in Anuradhapura, $803 in Colombo – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Anuradhapura and $1,205 in Colombo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Anuradhapura and $25.00 in Colombo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Colombo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Colombo at $803. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Colombo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Colombo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Anuradhapura to $803 in Colombo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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