Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $506 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 Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Nuwara Eliya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $506 in Nuwara Eliya.

Austin, TX $2,663
Nuwara Eliya $506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $822 in Nuwara Eliya.

Austin, TX $4,133
Nuwara Eliya $822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,138 in Nuwara Eliya.

Austin, TX $5,603
Nuwara Eliya $1,138

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.52 LKR 1,496

359.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.01 LKR 7,954

252.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.70 LKR 2,550

60.00%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.38 LKR 788

136.55%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.40 LKR 131

830.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.27 LKR 90.2

825.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.23 LKR 740

260.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.07 LKR 1,016

193.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.63 LKR 541

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.53 LKR 174

607.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.78 LKR 258

317.95%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.63 LKR 541

155.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.96 LKR 4,623

-7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.78 LKR 1,584

196.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.39 LKR 2,447

119.49%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.63 LKR 2,196

-34.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.78 LKR 259

87.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.61 LKR 1,526

-2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.28 LKR 424

239.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.03 LKR 343

150.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.75 LKR 250

213.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 LKR 288

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.44 LKR 145

404.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.19 LKR 3,376

-3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.47 LKR 4,463

11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.91 LKR 631

52.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.94 LKR 972

17.69%

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 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

$0.94 LKR 311

3655.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.40 LKR 463

-32.14%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.0K LKR 12.3M

-2.62%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

-32.94%

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

$229 $229

$54.2 LKR 17.9K

322.88%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.30 LKR 1,425

1281.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.94 LKR 6,937

233.86%

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 1,484

218.75%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$37.51 LKR 12.4K

3914.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,222 LKR 404.7K

1655.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$17.93 LKR 5,938

194.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.37 LKR 5,421

167.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$79.7 LKR 26.4K

6.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.76 LKR 14.2K

140.90%

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 Nuwara Eliya: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$238 46.9% 41.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Nuwara Eliya

$79 15.7% 77.8% $279

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Nuwara Eliya

$108 21.3% 69.6% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$71 13.9% 44.9% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 89.6% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Nuwara Eliya

$2.3 * 0.5% 96.1% $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 $24.00 in Nuwara Eliya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $238 per month, with Nuwara Eliya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

16:12 4:12 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

27,500

💱 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 Nuwara Eliya 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $760 in Nuwara Eliya 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 $37.51 in Nuwara Eliya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya – 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 $506 in Nuwara Eliya versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nuwara Eliya but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya 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 Nuwara Eliya 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.