Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $509 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Hikkaduwa
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Hikkaduwa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $509 in Hikkaduwa.

Austin, TX $2,663
Hikkaduwa $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $826 in Hikkaduwa.

Austin, TX $4,133
Hikkaduwa $826

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,144 in Hikkaduwa.

Austin, TX $5,603
Hikkaduwa $1,144

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 423% more expensive than in Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Hikkaduwa is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.45 LKR 1,475

366.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.59 LKR 8,144

244.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.57 LKR 2,507

62.75%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.50 LKR 827

125.20%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.72 LKR 238

416.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 LKR 90.1

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.16 LKR 716

272.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.01 LKR 998

199.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 LKR 520

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.53 LKR 175

607.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.80 LKR 266

307.50%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.60 LKR 530

160.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.00 LKR 4,636

-7.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.88 LKR 1,618

190.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.26 LKR 2,405

123.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.84 LKR 2,265

-36.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.85 LKR 281

71.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.46 LKR 1,478

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.23 LKR 406

252.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.02 LKR 339

152.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.82 LKR 270

186.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.92 LKR 306

93.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.44 LKR 145

404.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.32 LKR 3,418

-4.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.70 LKR 4,536

10.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.89 LKR 625

54.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.01 LKR 998

14.95%

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 126

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

$1.33 LKR 441

-28.57%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.8K LKR 12.5M

-4.52%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-33.82%

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

$229 $229

$54.8 LKR 18.2K

317.71%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.14 LKR 1,371

1334.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$21.01 LKR 6,959

232.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.45 LKR 1,474

220.90%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$37.63 LKR 12.5K

3901.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,227 LKR 406.4K

1648.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.35 LKR 6,077

187.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.80 LKR 5,564

160.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.6 LKR 25.7K

9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.92 LKR 14.2K

140.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

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 Hikkaduwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Hikkaduwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Hikkaduwa

$239 46.9% 41% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Hikkaduwa

$80 15.7% 77.7% $278

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Hikkaduwa

$109 21.4% 69.2% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Hikkaduwa

$70 13.8% 45.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Hikkaduwa

$8.9 * 1.8% 89.6% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Hikkaduwa

$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

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $25.00 in Hikkaduwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $239 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

16:36 4:36 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

101,342

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 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 16, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

LKR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Hikkaduwa 15,960 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Hikkaduwa

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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hikkaduwa wins on cost – living expenses run 423% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hikkaduwa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $763 in Hikkaduwa 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 $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $37.63 in Hikkaduwa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hikkaduwa – 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 $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa 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 Hikkaduwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 423% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.