Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $579 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $579 in Matara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Matara $579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $845 in Matara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Matara $845

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,112 in Matara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Matara $1,112

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 360% more expensive than in Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Matara is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.81 LKR 1,262

445.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.67 LKR 8,171

242.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.70 LKR 2,551

60.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.46 LKR 815

128.86%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.67 LKR 222

455.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 LKR 89.5

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.22 LKR 735

262.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.04 LKR 1,006

196.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.56 LKR 516

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.53 LKR 176

607.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.76 LKR 251

328.95%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.52 LKR 504

174.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.89 LKR 4,601

-7.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.98 LKR 1,651

184.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.39 LKR 2,449

119.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.70 LKR 2,220

-35.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.47 LKR 155

210.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.48 LKR 1,485

0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$0.85 LKR 281

410.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.97 LKR 322

165.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.62 LKR 206

279.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.93 LKR 308

91.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.46 LKR 151

382.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$9.74 LKR 3,227

1.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.05 LKR 4,321

15.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.85 LKR 612

57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.91 LKR 963

18.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.29 LKR 94.6

413.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.40 LKR 134

582.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.37 LKR 123

348.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.87 LKR 288

3957.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.32 LKR 437

-28.03%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

-1.92%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

-33.22%

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

$229 $229

$46.01 LKR 15.2K

397.70%

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

$21.18 LKR 7,016

230.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.42 LKR 1,464

223.08%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.19 LKR 12.6K

3843.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,210 LKR 400.7K

1673.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.27 LKR 6,051

189.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.83 LKR 5,575

160.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$80.0 LKR 26.5K

5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$41.05 LKR 13.6K

150.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$184 LKR 61.0K

936.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$89.1 LKR 29.5K

1329.78%

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

$106 LKR 35.2K

4718.65%

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 Matara: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Matara

$89 15.4% 93% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Matara

$232 40% 42.7% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Matara

$71 12.4% 80% $287

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Matara

$104 18% 70.6% $250

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Matara

$70 12.1% 45.1% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Matara

$8.8 * 1.5% 89.7% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6% 94.2% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $184 in Matara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 4719% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $25.00 in Matara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $232 per month, with Matara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

02:34 2:34 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

100,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Matara 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matara wins on cost – living expenses run 360% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 4719% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $184 in Matara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $38.19 in Matara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matara – 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 $579 in Matara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Matara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Matara 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.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Matara 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 Matara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 360% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.