Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Panadura

For one person, living is cheaper in Panadura: $504 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 Panadura
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Panadura Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Panadura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $504 in Panadura.

Austin, TX $2,663
Panadura $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $817 in Panadura.

Austin, TX $4,133
Panadura $817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,131 in Panadura.

Austin, TX $5,603
Panadura $1,131

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 428% more expensive than in Panadura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Panadura is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.29 LKR 1,422

384.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$23.94 LKR 7,928

253.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.65 LKR 2,533

61.05%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.39 LKR 792

135.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.73 LKR 241

409.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 LKR 82.1

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.16 LKR 715

272.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.02 LKR 1,000

198.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.60 LKR 531

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.54 LKR 178

594.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.79 LKR 261

312.66%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.65 LKR 545

152.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.56 LKR 4,490

-4.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.95 LKR 1,640

186.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.53 LKR 2,495

115.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.66 LKR 2,206

-34.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.79 LKR 260

84.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.36 LKR 1,443

3.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.28 LKR 423

239.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.98 LKR 326

163.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.74 LKR 246

217.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.94 LKR 312

89.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 LKR 143

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.20 LKR 3,378

-3.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.64 LKR 4,517

10.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.95 LKR 645

49.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.91 LKR 965

18.90%

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

$0.41 LKR 135

565.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.38 LKR 125

336.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.90 LKR 297

3822.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.35 LKR 446

-29.63%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.8K LKR 12.5M

-4.53%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-33.93%

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

$229 $229

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

320.17%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.20 LKR 1,391

1314.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.54 LKR 6,805

240.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.34 LKR 1,436

229.03%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.41 LKR 12.7K

3820.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,228 LKR 406.8K

1646.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.26 LKR 6,047

189.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.93 LKR 5,607

158.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$77.9 LKR 25.8K

8.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.26 LKR 14.0K

143.75%

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 Panadura: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Panadura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Panadura

$237 47.1% 41.4% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Panadura

$79 15.7% 77.9% $279

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Panadura

$107 21.2% 69.8% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Panadura

$70 13.9% 45.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Panadura

$8.7 * 1.7% 89.9% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Panadura

$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 Panadura for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $237 per month, with Panadura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Panadura

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

08:29 8:29 AM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

33,735

💱 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 Panadura 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Panadura

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 Panadura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Panadura wins on cost – living expenses run 428% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Panadura the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $756 in Panadura 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 $38.41 in Panadura. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Panadura – 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 $504 in Panadura versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Panadura but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Panadura 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 Panadura gentler on the wallet – expenses run 428% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.