Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $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 Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Austin, TX $2,663
Kataragama $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $828 in Kataragama.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kataragama $828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,146 in Kataragama.

Austin, TX $5,603
Kataragama $1,146

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Kataragama 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

$24.30 LKR 8,050

248.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.74 LKR 2,564

59.17%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.46 LKR 816

128.86%

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 89.8

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.19 LKR 727

267.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.00 LKR 993

200.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.55 LKR 513

-27.74%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.57 LKR 188

557.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.81 LKR 267

302.47%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.57 LKR 519

165.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$14.05 LKR 4,654

-8.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.95 LKR 1,639

186.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.47 LKR 2,473

117.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.92 LKR 2,292

-37.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.83 LKR 276

75.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.43 LKR 1,466

1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.22 LKR 405

255.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.99 LKR 329

160.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.75 LKR 247

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.92 LKR 306

93.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.47 LKR 155

372.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.42 LKR 3,453

-5.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.64 LKR 4,517

10.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.90 LKR 628

53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.97 LKR 985

16.50%

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

$0.40 LKR 133

582.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.34 LKR 114

388.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.88 LKR 291

3911.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.35 LKR 447

-29.63%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

-3.32%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-34.11%

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

$229 $229

$53.1 LKR 17.6K

331.65%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.29 LKR 1,420

1284.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$21.04 LKR 6,970

232.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.48 LKR 1,483

218.75%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.54 LKR 12.8K

3807.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,225 LKR 405.7K

1651.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.51 LKR 6,131

185.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.88 LKR 5,591

159.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$78.3 LKR 25.9K

8.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$43.04 LKR 14.3K

139.34%

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 Kataragama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Kataragama

$240 47.1% 40.7% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Kataragama

$78 15.4% 78.1% $280

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Kataragama

$110 21.5% 69% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Kataragama

$71 13.9% 44.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 89.6% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Kataragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.4% $57

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 $24.00 in Kataragama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $240 per month, with Kataragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

17:48 5:48 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

20,000

💱 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 Kataragama 15,930 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kataragama 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 Kataragama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $764 in Kataragama 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 $38.54 in Kataragama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kataragama – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $509 in Kataragama versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kataragama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kataragama 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 Kataragama 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.