Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $2,607 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,607

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,607 in Austin, TX versus $488 in Kolonnawa.

Austin, TX $2,607
Kolonnawa $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,031 in Austin, TX versus $794 in Kolonnawa.

Austin, TX $4,031
Kolonnawa $794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,454 in Austin, TX versus $1,100 in Kolonnawa.

Austin, TX $5,454
Kolonnawa $1,100

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 435% more expensive than in Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 92% above, Kolonnawa is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.35 $20.35

$3.87 LKR 1,285

425.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 $84.7

$25.33 LKR 8,422

234.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 $12.12

$7.38 LKR 2,453

64.23%

Cappuccino

$5.65 $5.65

$2.45 LKR 816

130.61%

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

$3.68 $3.68

$0.71 LKR 236

418.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.25 LKR 82.6

844.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.87 $7.87

$2.16 LKR 718

264.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.82 $8.82

$3.06 LKR 1,018

188.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.56 LKR 519

-26.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$0.53 LKR 178

596.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$0.58 LKR 192

470.69%

Eggs

$4.15 $4.15

$1.66 LKR 551

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 $12.98

$10.53 LKR 3,502

23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.86 $13.86

$4.63 LKR 1,539

199.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.34 $16.34

$7.32 LKR 2,433

123.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-30.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.85 LKR 281

70.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.11 $5.11

$4.43 LKR 1,472

15.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$1.32 LKR 439

242.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$1.04 LKR 347

196.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 $2.38

$0.77 LKR 255

209.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 $1.80

$0.93 LKR 308

93.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 LKR 142

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 $9.97

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-3.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$10.50 LKR 3,489

43.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 $2.91

$1.77 LKR 588

64.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.22 LKR 738

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 $1.22

$0.16 LKR 53.2

662.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.53 $40.53

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.78 $2.78

$0.40 LKR 134

595.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 $1.65

$0.35 LKR 116

371.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.39 $35.39

$0.93 LKR 308

3705.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.33 LKR 442

-28.57%

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

$34.2K $34.2K

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

-22.02%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

-34.90%

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

$223 $223

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

274.29%

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

$58.5 $58.5

$4.20 LKR 1,397

1292.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$20.66 LKR 6,870

244.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.0 $53.0

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.75 $16.75

Cinema Ticket

$14.06 $14.06

$4.65 LKR 1,546

202.37%

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

$1,459 $1,459

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

3806.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K $21.3K

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

1697.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 $52.5

$18.07 LKR 6,007

190.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$16.73 LKR 5,562

155.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 $86.4

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

7.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

148.93%

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 Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.2K 47.2%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$410 15.7%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 46.9% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$353 13.5%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 76.1% $268

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.4%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 70.3% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.9%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 45.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$81 3.1%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 88.5% $72

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$56 2.2%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 95.1% $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 Kolonnawa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $217 per month, with Kolonnawa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

02:31 2:31 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

64,800

💱 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 Kolonnawa 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kolonnawa

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 Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kolonnawa 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 Kolonnawa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,911 in Austin, TX and $732 in Kolonnawa 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 Kolonnawa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kolonnawa – 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 $488 in Kolonnawa versus $2,607 in Austin, TX, a $800 budget is realistic in Kolonnawa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kolonnawa 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.