Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 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 Wattala
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Wattala Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $574 in Wattala.

Austin, TX $2,663
Wattala $574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $954 in Wattala.

Austin, TX $4,133
Wattala $954

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,334 in Wattala.

Austin, TX $5,603
Wattala $1,334

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 364% more expensive than in Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.74 LKR 1,239

455.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$24.78 LKR 8,206

241.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.48 LKR 2,479

64.71%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.45 LKR 811

129.80%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.69 LKR 227

439.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.25 LKR 82.5

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.24 LKR 741

259.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.97 LKR 985

203.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.57 LKR 519

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.57 LKR 190

557.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.75 LKR 250

334.67%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.63 LKR 541

155.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$13.60 LKR 4,504

-5.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.79 LKR 1,588

195.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.41 LKR 2,454

118.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$6.46 LKR 2,140

-32.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$0.85 LKR 283

71.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$4.45 LKR 1,474

1.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.28 LKR 423

239.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.99 LKR 329

160.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.82 LKR 273

186.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.89 LKR 295

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.46 LKR 152

382.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$10.42 LKR 3,450

-5.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$12.64 LKR 4,188

19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.92 LKR 636

52.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$3.05 LKR 1,010

13.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.20 LKR 66.2

645.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.37 LKR 123

637.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.34 LKR 114

388.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$0.94 LKR 310

3655.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.19 LKR 395

-20.17%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$37.1K LKR 12.3M

-2.83%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-34.03%

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

$229 $229

$58.6 LKR 19.4K

290.83%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$4.23 LKR 1,401

1304.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.46 LKR 6,775

241.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$13.64 LKR 4,518

319.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$4.56 LKR 1,510

258.11%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$2.99 LKR 990

377.59%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

3858.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

1652.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$18.13 LKR 6,006

191.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$16.81 LKR 5,566

160.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$42.41 LKR 14.0K

142.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$105 LKR 34.9K

1708.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$60.6 LKR 20.1K

2003.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$242 LKR 80.0K

1417.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$180 LKR 59.6K

1309.68%

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 Wattala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 95.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Wattala

$234 40.8% 42.1% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Wattala

$83 14.5% 76.8% $275

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Wattala

$103 17.9% 71% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Wattala

$71 12.3% 44.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Wattala

$20 3.4% 77.1% $66

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 95.1% $56

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 $105 in Wattala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $25.00 in Wattala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $234 per month, with Wattala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

20:27 8:27 PM

10 h 30 min ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

30,200

💱 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 Wattala 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wattala wins on cost – living expenses run 364% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wattala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $861 in Wattala 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $105 in Wattala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $38.04 in Wattala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wattala – 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 $574 in Wattala versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wattala but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wattala 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 Wattala 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 Wattala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 364% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.