Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bentota
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$774
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bentota and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Bentota versus $3,986 in London.

  • Bentota $774
  • London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $896 in Bentota versus $5,791 in London.

  • Bentota $896
  • London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,018 in Bentota versus $7,595 in London.

  • Bentota $1,018
  • London $7,595

Living in Bentota costs roughly 81% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bentota is 43% below, London is 195% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bentota
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.29 LKR 1,421
$25.93 £19.45
-83.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.97 LKR 3,965
$107 £79.9
-88.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.73 LKR 2,560
$10.71 £8.03
-27.82%
Cappuccino
$2.46 LKR 815
$5.47 £4.11
-55.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 LKR 225
$2.97 £2.23
-77.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 LKR 82.2
$2.20 £1.65
-88.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 LKR 742
$9.13 £6.85
-75.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 LKR 1,016
$7.94 £5.96
-61.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bentota
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 LKR 535
$1.86 £1.40
-12.90%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 LKR 176
$2.07 £1.55
-74.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 LKR 244
$2.42 £1.81
-69.42%
Eggs
$1.56 LKR 518
$5.09 £3.82
-69.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.03 LKR 4,648
$12.87 £9.66
9.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.32 LKR 1,099
$10.43 £7.82
-68.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.62 LKR 1,529
$16.87 £12.66
-72.61%
Apples (1kg)
$6.81 LKR 2,257
$3.11 £2.33
118.97%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 LKR 241
$1.40 £1.05
-47.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.59 LKR 1,519
$3.08 £2.31
49.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.90 LKR 297
$3.27 £2.45
-72.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 LKR 331
$1.58 £1.19
-36.71%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 LKR 263
$1.74 £1.31
-54.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 LKR 312
$1.40 £1.05
-32.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 143
$1.80 £1.35
-76.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.13 LKR 3,356
$23.28 £17.46
-56.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.36 LKR 4,424
$13.03 £9.77
2.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 LKR 645
$3.17 £2.38
-38.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 LKR 963
$4.42 £3.32
-34.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Bentota
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 LKR 61.0
$4.07 £3.05
-95.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$247 £185
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 LKR 133
$5.58 £4.18
-92.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 LKR 103
$3.36 £2.52
-90.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 LKR 289
$56.8 £42.57
-98.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 LKR 461
$2.13 £1.60
-34.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.2K LKR 12.3M
$38.2K £28.6K
-2.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K LKR 13.3M
$40.9K £30.7K
-1.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bentota
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.0 LKR 17.9K
$372 £279
-85.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.23 LKR 739
$17.82 £13.37
-87.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.03 LKR 2,990
$40.37 £30.29
-77.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bentota
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$60.0 £44.99
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.29 £15.97
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.28 LKR 1,417
$17.74 £13.31
-75.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bentota
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$38.08 LKR 12.6K
$2,864 £2,149
-98.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,230 LKR 407.3K
$35.3K £26.5K
-96.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bentota
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.80 LKR 5,897
$114 £85.5
-84.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.82 LKR 5,573
$54.3 £40.71
-69.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 LKR 26.6K
$124 £93.2
-35.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.09 LKR 13.9K
$163 £122
-74.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bentota
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$541 LKR 179.2K
$2,869 £2,152
-81.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 LKR 98.7K
$2,233 £1,675
-86.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$5,266 £3,950
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,778 £2,834
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.3K £13.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$8,024 £6,019
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bentota
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$5,037 £3,778
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
4.74
167.72%

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

Last update for Bentota: October 11, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bentota
$298
London
$2.2K 649% $1.9K
Groceries & Markets
Bentota
$220
London
$349 58.7% $129
Eating Out
Bentota
$108
London
$388 259% $279
Clothing & Footwear
Bentota
$71
London
$205 190% $134
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bentota
$65
London
$430 559% $365
Sport & Entertainment
Bentota
$8.6 *
London
$95 1015% $87
Getting Around
Bentota
$2.7 *
London
$285 10472% $283

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 $541 in Bentota and $2,869 in London. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Bentota vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $349 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Bentota
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
04:53 4:53 AM
00:23 12:23 AM
4 h 30 min behind Bentota
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,000
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bentota London 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bentota
  • London

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
Bentota vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is London cheaper than Bentota?
Bentota is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 415% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,160 in Bentota and $5,979 in London 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.
What is the rent difference between Bentota and London?
Rent for a central apartment: $541 in Bentota versus $2,869 in London. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Bentota and in London?
Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Bentota and in London?
All in, you'll spend $774 per month in Bentota versus $3,986 in London – a 415% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bentota or in London?
At $774 in Bentota versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Bentota or London more family-friendly?
For families, Bentota is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 415% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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