Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Badulla and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $2,443 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Badulla and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Badulla and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $547 in Badulla versus $2,443 in Barcelona.

Badulla $547
Barcelona $2,443

Estimated couple costs with rent: $883 in Badulla versus $3,519 in Barcelona.

Badulla $883
Barcelona $3,519

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,219 in Badulla versus $4,595 in Barcelona.

Badulla $1,219
Barcelona $4,595

Living in Badulla costs roughly 78% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Badulla is 60% below, Barcelona is 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 LKR 1,276

$17.66 €15.69

-78.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.93 LKR 8,291

$67.5 €59.9

-63.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 LKR 2,507

$13.61 €12.09

-44.60%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 823

$3.10 €2.75

-20.32%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$3.00 €2.67

-77.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.6

$1.93 €1.71

-86.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 752

$3.84 €3.41

-41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LKR 1,006

$4.36 €3.87

-30.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 539

$1.25 €1.11

29.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$2.12 €1.89

-73.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 LKR 203

$1.97 €1.75

-69.04%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 548

$4.76 €4.23

-65.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.15 LKR 5,038

$17.07 €15.16

-11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 LKR 1,230

$8.96 €7.96

-58.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 LKR 2,528

$20.65 €18.34

-63.20%

Apples (1kg)

$6.61 LKR 2,198

$3.16 €2.81

109.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 LKR 296

$1.97 €1.75

-54.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,421

$2.65 €2.36

61.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 420

$2.88 €2.56

-56.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 LKR 362

$2.06 €1.83

-47.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 261

$2.18 €1.94

-63.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 LKR 405

$1.53 €1.36

-20.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.97 €0.86

-52.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

$6.97 €6.19

45.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.31 LKR 4,428

$7.89 €7.01

68.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 634

$1.42 €1.26

34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 LKR 947

$2.69 €2.39

5.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.61 €22.75

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$3.08 €2.74

-86.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 LKR 111

$1.48 €1.32

-77.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$32.87 €29.20

-97.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 454

$1.87 €1.66

-26.74%

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

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

$33.0K €29.3K

29.86%

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

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

$31.9K €28.4K

44.31%

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

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

$183 €162

-69.24%

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

$4.32 LKR 1,437

$14.24 €12.65

-69.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,873

$34.56 €30.70

-40.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 €45.68

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.38 €14.55

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 LKR 1,461

$11.06 €9.83

-60.31%

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

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

$944 €838

-95.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

$22.3K €19.8K

-21.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.24 LKR 6,068

$87.7 €77.9

-79.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.37 LKR 5,779

$38.77 €34.44

-55.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$105 €92.9

-25.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

$118 €105

-65.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

$1,697 €1,507

-95.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

$1,337 €1,187

-96.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,692 €2,391

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

$2,077 €1,845

-95.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

$7,155 €6,356

-36.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 LKR 248.4K

$5,079 €4,512

-85.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 LKR 73.7K

$2,241 €1,991

-90.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

3.19

291.85%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Badulla: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Badulla

$237 43.3%

Barcelona

$328 13.4% 38.6% $91

Eating Out

Badulla

$104 19.1%

Barcelona

$267 10.9% 156% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Badulla

$81 14.9%

Barcelona

$232 9.5% 185% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Badulla

$69 12.7%

Barcelona

$157 6.4% 126% $87

Accommodation & Living

Badulla

$44 8.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.7% 2912% $1.3K

Sport & Entertainment

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 738% $65

Getting Around

Badulla

$2.1 * 0.4%

Barcelona

$49 2% 2272% $47

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 $76 in Badulla and $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Badulla vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $328 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Badulla

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

20:11 8:11 PM

4 h 30 min behind Badulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Badulla Barcelona 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Badulla
Barcelona

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

Badulla vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is about 78% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Badulla. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76 in Badulla versus $1,697 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $41 in Badulla versus $944 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $547 in Badulla versus $2,443 in Barcelona, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla 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, Badulla and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Badulla wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.