Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $507 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 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 Kandana
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Kandana Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$507

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $507 in Kandana.

Austin, TX $2,663
Kandana $507

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $823 in Kandana.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kandana $823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,140 in Kandana.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kandana $1,140

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 426% more expensive than in Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.48 LKR 1,485

363.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.62 LKR 8,154

243.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.37 LKR 2,440

67.16%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.40 LKR 794

134.58%

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 90.4

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.18 LKR 721

269.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.99 LKR 991

201.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 LKR 521

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.52 LKR 174

621.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.78 LKR 259

317.95%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.65 LKR 547

152.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.93 LKR 4,612

-7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.99 LKR 1,653

183.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.25 LKR 2,401

123.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.73 LKR 2,230

-35.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.80 LKR 267

82.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.42 LKR 1,464

2.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.27 LKR 421

241.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.03 LKR 340

150.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.75 LKR 248

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.89 LKR 294

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.47 LKR 156

372.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.45 LKR 3,461

-5.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.81 LKR 4,573

9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.96 LKR 650

48.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.91 LKR 965

18.90%

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 124

348.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.90 LKR 297

3822.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.34 LKR 444

-29.10%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.7K LKR 12.5M

-4.30%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

-34.32%

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

$229 $229

$54.9 LKR 18.2K

317.41%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.26 LKR 1,411

1294.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.50 LKR 6,789

241.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.35 LKR 1,439

228.28%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

3962.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,230 LKR 407.2K

1645.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$17.89 LKR 5,926

195.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.37 LKR 5,423

167.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

8.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.99 LKR 14.2K

139.61%

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 Kandana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Kandana

$239 47.1% 41% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Kandana

$80 15.7% 77.8% $279

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Kandana

$108 21.2% 69.6% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 45.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kandana

$8.7 * 1.7% 89.9% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Kandana

$2.3 * 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 Kandana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $239 per month, with Kandana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

15,000

💱 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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Between locations

Austin, TX Kandana 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandana wins on cost – living expenses run 426% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kandana the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $760 in Kandana 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 $37.07 in Kandana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kandana – 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 $507 in Kandana versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kandana but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kandana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kandana delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $507 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kandana hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Kandana 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 Kandana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 426% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.