Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Dambulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
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Dambulla Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $505 in Dambulla.

Austin, TX $2,607
Dambulla $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $818 in Dambulla.

Austin, TX $4,031
Dambulla $818

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $1,131 in Dambulla.

Austin, TX $5,454
Dambulla $1,131

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 417% more expensive than in Dambulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Dambulla is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$3.85 LKR 1,281

428.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$25.00 LKR 8,311

238.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$7.66 LKR 2,546

58.22%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.47 LKR 821

128.74%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.67 LKR 224

449.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.27 LKR 89.9

774.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.27 LKR 753

246.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$2.93 LKR 975

201.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.63 LKR 543

-30.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$0.56 LKR 188

558.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$0.77 LKR 254

329.87%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$1.63 LKR 542

154.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$13.55 LKR 4,504

-4.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$4.92 LKR 1,635

181.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$7.30 LKR 2,428

123.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$6.47 LKR 2,152

-27.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.87 LKR 289

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.33 LKR 1,441

18.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.32 LKR 440

242.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.01 LKR 336

204.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.79 LKR 262

201.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.87 LKR 289

106.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 LKR 142

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$10.35 LKR 3,440

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$12.67 LKR 4,214

18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.89 LKR 627

53.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.93 LKR 974

13.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.07 LKR 23.76

1642.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.38 LKR 126

631.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.38 LKR 125

334.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$0.87 LKR 289

3967.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.37 LKR 456

-30.66%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-21.82%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-34.67%

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

$223 $223

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

273.16%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$4.30 LKR 1,431

1260.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$20.98 LKR 6,976

239.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$4.57 LKR 1,520

207.66%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

3814.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$1,199 LKR 398.5K

1680.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$18.35 LKR 6,102

186.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$16.43 LKR 5,462

160.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

152.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

12.69

-46.26%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Dambulla

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Dambulla

$234 46.4% 42.9% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Dambulla

$85 16.9% 75.9% $268

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Dambulla

$104 20.7% 70% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Dambulla

$69 13.7% 46.1% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8% 88.7% $72

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5% 95.5% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $25 in Dambulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $234 per month, with Dambulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

68,800

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

LKR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Dambulla 15,770 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Dambulla

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 Dambulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dambulla wins on cost – living expenses run 81% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Dambulla the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $757 in Dambulla 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.

Childcare runs $1,459 in Austin, TX versus $37 in Dambulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dambulla – a meal for two runs $25 versus $85 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $505 in Dambulla versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Dambulla but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Dambulla 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.