Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Polonnaruwa

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

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Austin, TX $2,663
Polonnaruwa $506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $821 in Polonnaruwa.

Austin, TX $4,133
Polonnaruwa $821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,136 in Polonnaruwa.

Austin, TX $5,603
Polonnaruwa $1,136

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 427% more expensive than in Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$4.44 LKR 1,472

367.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.02 LKR 7,957

252.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.53 LKR 2,495

63.61%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.39 LKR 792

135.56%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.68 LKR 226

447.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 LKR 82.6

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.17 LKR 718

270.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$3.10 LKR 1,026

190.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.56 LKR 516

-28.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.57 LKR 190

557.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.76 LKR 250

328.95%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.59 LKR 526

162.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.60 LKR 4,505

-5.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.88 LKR 1,618

190.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.63 LKR 2,527

112.58%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-35.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.79 LKR 260

84.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.58 LKR 1,517

-1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.21 LKR 402

258.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.04 LKR 343

148.08%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.82 LKR 271

186.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.87 LKR 288

104.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.43 LKR 143

416.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.41 LKR 3,447

-5.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$13.63 LKR 4,515

10.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.98 LKR 657

47.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.06 LKR 1,014

13.07%

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

$0.37 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

$1.37 LKR 455

-30.66%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

-0.76%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-34.15%

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

$229 $229

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

325.16%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.26 LKR 1,412

1294.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.44 LKR 6,770

242.03%

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 1,485

218.75%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

3862.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

1700.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$17.97 LKR 5,953

193.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.63 LKR 5,508

163.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

6.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

144.51%

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 Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1% 41.2% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5% 78.1% $280

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3% 69.6% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9% 45% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8% 89.5% $77

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Polonnaruwa

$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 Polonnaruwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $238 per month, with Polonnaruwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

15,000

💱 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 Polonnaruwa 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polonnaruwa wins on cost – living expenses run 427% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Polonnaruwa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $759 in Polonnaruwa 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 $38.00 in Polonnaruwa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Polonnaruwa – 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 Polonnaruwa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polonnaruwa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 427% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.