Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Matale

For one person, living is cheaper in Matale: $119 a month against $777 in Bentota, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Matale

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bentota and in Matale

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $777 in Bentota versus $119 in Matale.

Bentota $777
Matale $119

Estimated couple costs with rent: $896 in Bentota versus $199 in Matale.

Bentota $896
Matale $199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,014 in Bentota versus $278 in Matale.

Bentota $1,014
Matale $278

Living in Bentota is roughly 551% more expensive than in Matale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bentota 42% lower, Matale 91% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 LKR 1,257

$1.86 LKR 618

103.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 LKR 3,992

$9.21 LKR 3,063

30.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 LKR 2,447

$4.62 LKR 1,537

59.31%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 822

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$0.47 LKR 157

51.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 728

$2.42 LKR 805

-9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,031

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 523

$1.70 LKR 565

-7.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.37 LKR 123

40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$0.68 LKR 227

17.65%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 549

$1.11 LKR 368

48.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 LKR 5,049

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 LKR 1,119

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 LKR 1,488

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 LKR 2,247

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$0.58 LKR 192

31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 LKR 1,356

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$0.86 LKR 286

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 LKR 357

$0.55 LKR 183

94.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 274

$0.52 LKR 172

57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 402

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 LKR 3,347

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,554

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 631

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 LKR 956

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.4

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 LKR 96.3

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 461

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

$44.0K LKR 14.7M

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

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

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

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

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

$2.32 LKR 770

$3.74 LKR 1,242

-37.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.88 LKR 2,952

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,526

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

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.34 LKR 6,102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.33 LKR 5,763

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 LKR 181.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 LKR 100.4K

$33.57 LKR 11.2K

798.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$48.65 LKR 16.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 LKR 61.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

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

Last update for Bentota: October 31, 2026

Last update for Matale: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentota

$302 38.8%

Matale

–

Groceries & Markets

Bentota

$223 28.7%

Matale

–

Eating Out

Bentota

$103 13.2%

Matale

–

Clothing & Footwear

Bentota

$70 9%

Matale

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentota

$69 8.8%

Matale

–

Sport & Entertainment

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2%

Matale

–

Getting Around

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3%

Matale

–

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $12 in Bentota vs $9 in Matale for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $38 per month, with Matale cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bentota

🇱🇰 Matale

🕒 Local time

21:06 9:06 PM

Same time as Bentota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,000

40,800

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bentota Matale 140 km

From you

Bentota
Matale

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 Matale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matale is about 85% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,166 in Bentota and $179 in Matale 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 482% higher in Bentota. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Matale – a meal for two runs $9 versus $12 in Bentota. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.