Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $543 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $543 in Badulla.

Austin, TX $2,663
Badulla $543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $877 in Badulla.

Austin, TX $4,133
Badulla $877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,211 in Badulla.

Austin, TX $5,603
Badulla $1,211

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 390% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Badulla is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.88 LKR 1,287

435.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$25.05 LKR 8,298

237.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.37 LKR 2,442

67.16%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.55 LKR 844

120.78%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.71 LKR 236

423.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 LKR 89.5

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.22 LKR 735

262.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.07 LKR 1,015

193.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.55 LKR 514

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.53 LKR 174

607.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.60 LKR 199

443.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.66 LKR 551

151.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-7.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.56 LKR 1,178

297.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.62 LKR 2,522

112.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.65 LKR 2,202

-34.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.87 LKR 288

67.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.35 LKR 1,440

3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.33 LKR 439

226.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.99 LKR 329

160.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.77 LKR 255

205.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 LKR 287

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.45 LKR 151

393.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.13 LKR 3,354

-2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.74 LKR 4,221

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.90 LKR 628

53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.93 LKR 971

18.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.38 LKR 125

618.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.37 LKR 123

348.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.88 LKR 293

3911.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.38 LKR 456

-31.16%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$36.5K LKR 12.1M

-1.28%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.7K LKR 13.5M

-33.51%

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

$229 $229

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

295.83%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.31 LKR 1,429

1277.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$21.13 LKR 6,998

230.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.49 LKR 1,488

218.04%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.34 LKR 12.7K

3827.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,205 LKR 399.2K

1680.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.44 LKR 6,108

186.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.32 LKR 5,405

168.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$80.2 LKR 26.6K

5.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$41.30 LKR 13.7K

149.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$76.1 LKR 25.2K

2407.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$44.45 LKR 14.7K

2766.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$89.9 LKR 29.8K

2725.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$4,542 LKR 1.5M

67.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$742 LKR 245.8K

325.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$224 LKR 74.3K

2181.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

12.69

-46.49%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Badulla: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Badulla

$44 8.2% 96.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Badulla

$229 42.2% 43.4% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Badulla

$83 15.3% 76.8% $275

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Badulla

$105 19.3% 70.3% $249

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Badulla

$70 12.9% 45% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Badulla

$9 * 1.7% 89.5% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Badulla

$2.2 * 0.4% 96.2% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $76.1 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 2182% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $25.00 in Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $229 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

18:35 6:35 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

110,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

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).

LKR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Austin, TX Badulla 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Badulla

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

Austin, TX vs Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla wins on cost – living expenses run 390% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Badulla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2182% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $76.1 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $38.34 in Badulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $543 in Badulla versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Badulla are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Badulla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 390% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.