Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Jaffna

For one person, living costs are similar in Anuradhapura and in Jaffna: $506 and $486 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index

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Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Jaffna

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$486

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Anuradhapura and in Jaffna

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Anuradhapura vs $486 in Jaffna, rent included.

Anuradhapura $506
Jaffna $486

A couple spends around $820 per month in Anuradhapura vs $774 in Jaffna, rent included.

Anuradhapura $820
Jaffna $774

A family of three spends $1,134 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,063 in Jaffna, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,134
Jaffna $1,063

Anuradhapura costs about 4% more than Jaffna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Anuradhapura and Jaffna are more affordable than the global median – Anuradhapura 63% lower, Jaffna 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 LKR 1,242

$1.04 LKR 345

260.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 LKR 8,139

$39.54 LKR 13.1K

-37.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 LKR 2,490

$4.66 LKR 1,544

61.37%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 810

$3.22 LKR 1,065

-24.22%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.60 LKR 531

-57.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.52 LKR 173

-48.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 738

$3.57 LKR 1,183

-37.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 990

$5.99 LKR 1,983

-50.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$0.68 LKR 224

136.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 189

$0.48 LKR 161

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$0.64 LKR 212

26.56%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$1.40 LKR 464

16.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 LKR 4,590

$4.45 LKR 1,474

211.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 LKR 1,630

$3.20 LKR 1,058

53.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,405

$5.91 LKR 1,959

22.84%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 LKR 2,208

$3.72 LKR 1,233

79.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 286

$0.50 LKR 166

72.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,476

$3.07 LKR 1,016

45.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 418

$1.48 LKR 491

-14.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 330

$0.99 LKR 327

1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 274

$0.62 LKR 205

33.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.63 LKR 207

47.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.39 LKR 131

10.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 LKR 3,441

$11.67 LKR 3,865

-10.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.07 LKR 4,330

$18.26 LKR 6,047

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 648

$2.56 LKR 848

-23.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 961

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 103

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.08 LKR 1,020

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$0.47 LKR 155

-14.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.23 LKR 75.5

60.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 443

$1.30 LKR 430

3.08%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

-12.49%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

$45.41 LKR 15.0K

28.74%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,401

$2.95 LKR 977

43.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.09 LKR 6,984

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.97 LKR 1,977

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 LKR 1,460

$1.84 LKR 609

139.67%

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

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,115

$36.40 LKR 12.1K

-49.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.65 LKR 5,515

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$154 LKR 51.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 LKR 45.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 LKR 74.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 LKR 64.9K

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 Jaffna: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9%

Jaffna

–

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3%

Jaffna

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6%

Jaffna

–

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 14%

Jaffna

–

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7%

Jaffna

–

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5%

Jaffna

–

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Jaffna

–

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 $40.00 in Jaffna. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Anuradhapura vs $169 in Jaffna – so Jaffna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Jaffna

🕒 Local time

08:53 8:53 AM

Same time as Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

600,000

💱 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 Jaffna 150 km

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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 Jaffna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $506 in Anuradhapura, $486 in Jaffna – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Anuradhapura and $729 in Jaffna. 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 $40.00 in Jaffna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $506 in Anuradhapura and $486 in Jaffna. That's a gap of about 4%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $506 in Anuradhapura and $486 in Jaffna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Jaffna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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