Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $774 in Bentota.

Austin, TX $2,663
Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $896 in Bentota.

Austin, TX $4,133
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,018 in Bentota.

Austin, TX $5,603
Bentota $1,018

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 244% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Bentota is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.29 LKR 1,421

384.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$11.97 LKR 3,965

606.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.73 LKR 2,560

59.38%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.46 LKR 815

128.86%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.68 LKR 225

447.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 LKR 82.2

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.24 LKR 742

259.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.07 LKR 1,016

193.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.62 LKR 535

-30.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.53 LKR 176

607.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.74 LKR 244

340.54%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.56 LKR 518

167.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-8.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$3.32 LKR 1,099

326.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$4.62 LKR 1,529

251.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.81 LKR 2,257

-36.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.73 LKR 241

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.59 LKR 1,519

-1.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.90 LKR 297

382.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.00 LKR 331

158.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.79 LKR 263

197.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.94 LKR 312

89.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 LKR 143

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.13 LKR 3,356

-2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.36 LKR 4,424

12.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.95 LKR 645

49.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.91 LKR 963

18.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.18 LKR 61.0

727.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.40 LKR 133

582.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.31 LKR 103

435.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.87 LKR 289

3957.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.39 LKR 461

-31.65%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

-3.00%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-32.53%

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

$229 $229

$54.0 LKR 17.9K

323.74%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$2.23 LKR 739

2563.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$9.03 LKR 2,990

674.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.28 LKR 1,417

233.64%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.08 LKR 12.6K

3854.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,230 LKR 407.3K

1644.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$17.80 LKR 5,897

196.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.82 LKR 5,573

160.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

5.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.09 LKR 13.9K

144.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$541 LKR 179.2K

252.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$298 LKR 98.7K

327.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

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 Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Bentota

$298 38.5% 76.6% $976

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Bentota

$220 28.5% 45.6% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Bentota

$65 8.4% 81.8% $293

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Bentota

$108 14% 69.5% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Bentota

$71 9.1% 44.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Bentota

$8.6 * 1.1% 90% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4% 95.4% $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 $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $12.00 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $220 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

21:29 9:29 PM

07:59 7:59 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

37,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Bentota 15,930 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota wins on cost – living expenses run 244% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bentota the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $1,160 in Bentota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $38.08 in Bentota. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bentota – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $774 in Bentota versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.

Expats usually find Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 244% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.