Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $513 in Kandy.

Austin, TX $2,607
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $728 in Kandy.

Austin, TX $4,031
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $943 in Kandy.

Austin, TX $5,454
Kandy $943

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 408% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Kandy is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$2.66 LKR 885

665.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$13.01 LKR 4,324

551.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$6.00 LKR 1,996

102.00%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$1.90 LKR 632

197.37%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.52 LKR 174

607.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.26 LKR 87.1

807.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$1.86 LKR 620

323.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$2.80 LKR 931

215.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.15 LKR 382

-0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$0.52 LKR 174

609.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$0.77 LKR 255

329.87%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$1.71 LKR 568

142.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$5.14 LKR 1,708

152.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$4.25 LKR 1,412

226.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$6.87 LKR 2,285

137.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$3.14 LKR 1,043

49.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.84 LKR 280

72.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$1.73 LKR 574

195.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.29 LKR 429

250.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.02 LKR 339

201.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.83 LKR 277

186.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.43 LKR 144

318.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.42 LKR 140

428.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$8.02 LKR 2,668

24.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$11.28 LKR 3,751

33.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.93 LKR 643

50.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.08 LKR 691

60.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.16 LKR 53.3

662.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

$4.38 LKR 1,457

825.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.41 LKR 136

578.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.35 LKR 116

371.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$0.47 LKR 156

7429.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.15 LKR 383

-17.39%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

144.71%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-27.16%

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

$223 $223

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

277.90%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$3.86 LKR 1,282

1415.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$12.72 LKR 4,227

459.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

$10.85 LKR 3,606

388.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

$6.80 LKR 2,262

146.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$2.74 LKR 909

413.14%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$21.65 LKR 7,199

6638.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$304 LKR 101.0K

6928.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$18.28 LKR 6,078

187.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$10.15 LKR 3,375

321.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

27.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$26.56 LKR 8,831

290.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,112 $2,112

$172 LKR 57.2K

1128.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 $1,230

$113 LKR 37.5K

990.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,863 $3,863

$172 LKR 57.2K

2144.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,407 $2,407

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

2470.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,426 $7,426

$397 LKR 131.9K

1771.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,060 $3,060

$400 LKR 133.0K

664.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,179 $5,179

$262 LKR 86.9K

1880.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.82

-43.17%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Kandy

$113 22% 90.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 59.5% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 78.6% $277

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 77% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 57% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 79.9% $65

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 87.3% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,112 in Austin, TX and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays about 20 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $85 in Austin, TX vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

13:34 1:34 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

125,000

💱 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 Kandy 15,830 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy wins on cost – living expenses run 80% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kandy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Austin, TX is about 20 times higher, 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: $2,112 in Austin, TX versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,607 per month in Austin, TX versus $513 in Kandy – a 408% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 89% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $513 in Kandy versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandy but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kandy 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 Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 80% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.