Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandarawela and Ratnapura

For one person, living costs are similar in Bandarawela and in Ratnapura: $496 and $477 a month, rent and utilities included.

24

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
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Bandarawela Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
Learn more

Ratnapura Living Index

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Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$496

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandarawela and in Ratnapura

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

A single person spends $496 per month in Bandarawela vs $477 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Bandarawela $496
Ratnapura $477

A couple spends around $793 per month in Bandarawela vs $765 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Bandarawela $793
Ratnapura $765

A family of three spends $1,091 per month in Bandarawela vs $1,054 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Bandarawela $1,091
Ratnapura $1,054

Bandarawela costs about 4% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bandarawela and Ratnapura are more affordable than the global median – Bandarawela 64% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 LKR 465

$1.95 LKR 647

-28.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.56 LKR 8,164

$9.22 LKR 3,066

166.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 LKR 2,585

$6.06 LKR 2,014

28.22%

Cappuccino

$1.53 LKR 507

$2.08 LKR 691

-26.44%

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

$0.63 LKR 208

$0.73 LKR 244

-13.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.3

$0.44 LKR 146

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 739

$1.93 LKR 642

15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 LKR 797

$2.77 LKR 921

-13.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 547

$1.84 LKR 612

-10.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.79 LKR 263

-56.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 LKR 205

$0.66 LKR 219

-6.06%

Eggs

$1.08 LKR 357

$1.07 LKR 357

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 LKR 4,492

$14.73 LKR 4,898

-8.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 LKR 1,231

$6.39 LKR 2,125

-42.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.57 LKR 2,516

$15.60 LKR 5,186

-51.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.74 LKR 2,240

$4.26 LKR 1,417

58.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 LKR 196

$0.75 LKR 248

-21.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 LKR 1,500

$4.14 LKR 1,378

8.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 426

$0.94 LKR 311

36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 312

$1.05 LKR 349

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 LKR 172

$1.40 LKR 465

-62.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 316

$0.46 LKR 154

106.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.43 LKR 144

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 LKR 3,192

$12.86 LKR 4,274

-25.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 LKR 4,289

$12.92 LKR 4,296

-0.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 649

$2.09 LKR 693

-6.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 LKR 968

$2.88 LKR 959

1.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 LKR 46.52

$0.34 LKR 115

-58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.55 LKR 516

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$0.37 LKR 124

2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 LKR 95.7

$0.44 LKR 146

-34.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 155

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 LKR 328

$1.00 LKR 331

-1.00%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

120.26%

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

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

104.92%

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

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

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

$3.29 LKR 1,094

$2.07 LKR 687

58.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.92 LKR 1,968

$7.41 LKR 2,462

-20.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$6.21 LKR 2,064

$9.13 LKR 3,034

-31.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.51 LKR 1,499

Cinema Ticket

$2.47 LKR 821

$2.39 LKR 794

3.35%

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

$37.24 LKR 12.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.29 LKR 6,081

$10.48 LKR 3,484

74.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.75 LKR 5,568

$7.70 LKR 2,561

117.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

-7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

$25.89 LKR 8,608

58.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

20.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$45.15 LKR 15.0K

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

-17.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$119 LKR 39.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$61.5 LKR 20.5K

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

-27.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 LKR 55.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Bandarawela: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandarawela

$225 45.3%

Ratnapura

$258 54.2% 15% $34

Eating Out

Bandarawela

$72 14.6%

Ratnapura

$79 16.5% 8.6% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bandarawela

$69 14%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 16.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandarawela

$69 14%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 86.3% $60

Accommodation & Living

Bandarawela

$45 9.1%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5% 20.9% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Bandarawela

$11 2.3%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 24.8% $2.8

Getting Around

Bandarawela

$3.9 0.8%

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8% 0.5% $0

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $92 in Bandarawela versus $76 in Ratnapura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Bandarawela versus $9 in Ratnapura. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Bandarawela vs $258 in Ratnapura – so Bandarawela wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

Same time as Bandarawela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

52,100

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandarawela Ratnapura 67 km

From you

Bandarawela
Ratnapura

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

Bandarawela vs Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $496 in Bandarawela, $477 in Ratnapura – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $744 per month in Bandarawela and $715 in Ratnapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $76 there versus $92 in Bandarawela.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Bandarawela and $9 in Ratnapura. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $496 in Bandarawela and $477 in Ratnapura. That’s a gap of about 4%.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $496 in Bandarawela and $477 in Ratnapura, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bandarawela has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Ratnapura to $496 in Bandarawela. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.