Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $2,305 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,305

/mo nomad

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in Sri Lanka

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

A single person spends $2,305 per month in Canada vs $608 in Sri Lanka, rent included.

Canada $2,305
Sri Lanka $608

A couple spends around $3,339 per month in Canada vs $963 in Sri Lanka, rent included.

Canada $3,339
Sri Lanka $963

A family of three spends $4,374 per month in Canada vs $1,319 in Sri Lanka, rent included.

Canada $4,374
Sri Lanka $1,319

The cost of living in Canada is about 279% higher than in Sri Lanka on average.

Canada sits 72% above the global median, while Sri Lanka is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 CA$25.22

$2.76 LKR 913

540.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.6 CA$101

$19.14 LKR 6,333

268.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 CA$15.27

$7.39 LKR 2,446

44.93%

Cappuccino

$3.72 CA$5.30

$2.32 LKR 767

60.34%

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

$2.07 CA$2.95

$0.66 LKR 217

213.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.36

$0.29 LKR 95.5

472.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.69 CA$8.11

$2.33 LKR 769

144.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 CA$8.20

$3.05 LKR 1,009

88.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CA$3.04

$1.59 LKR 527

33.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 CA$3.82

$0.49 LKR 161

446.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.13

$0.70 LKR 230

414.29%

Eggs

$3.51 CA$5.00

$1.62 LKR 537

116.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.72 CA$15.29

$12.02 LKR 3,976

-10.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 CA$16.98

$4.25 LKR 1,406

180.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.29 CA$21.80

$7.37 LKR 2,439

107.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.68

$5.61 LKR 1,857

-29.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.94

$0.78 LKR 257

74.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.47

$4.44 LKR 1,467

-13.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.06 CA$5.78

$1.26 LKR 416

222.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 CA$3.65

$0.94 LKR 310

172.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 CA$3.45

$0.83 LKR 273

191.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 CA$3.66

$0.81 LKR 268

217.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.41

$0.47 LKR 157

259.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.94 CA$19.86

$9.95 LKR 3,291

40.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.26 CA$18.90

$11.98 LKR 3,962

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 CA$4.07

$1.92 LKR 635

48.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 CA$4.64

$2.65 LKR 878

23.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 CA$3.44

$0.19 LKR 62.8

1168.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.8 CA$102

$5.95 LKR 1,970

1106.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 CA$4.35

$0.46 LKR 154

563.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.05

$0.34 LKR 114

323.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.68 CA$38.02

$0.95 LKR 315

2708.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$1.27 LKR 420

-7.87%

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

$27.7K CA$39.5K

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

-7.69%

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

$19.4K CA$27.7K

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

-51.72%

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

$147 CA$210

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

218.65%

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

$41.33 CA$58.9

$4.00 LKR 1,324

933.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.9 CA$82.5

$16.77 LKR 5,547

244.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.41 CA$57.6

$12.28 LKR 4,063

229.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.23 CA$27.40

$6.36 LKR 2,104

202.36%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 CA$15.78

$3.73 LKR 1,233

196.78%

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

$757 CA$1,079

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

2034.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K CA$20.3K

$581 LKR 192.1K

2354.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 CA$77.3

$20.41 LKR 6,752

165.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.79 CA$56.7

$15.50 LKR 5,129

156.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 CA$125

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

20.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$144

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

169.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 CA$1,822

$309 LKR 102.2K

313.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 CA$1,578

$139 LKR 46.0K

696.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 CA$2,901

$765 LKR 253.2K

165.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,741 CA$2,481

$243 LKR 80.4K

615.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,611 CA$6,572

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

26.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,822 CA$5,448

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

237.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,975 CA$4,240

$216 LKR 71.5K

1277.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

13.46

-63.82%

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

Last update for Canada: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.6%

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7% 87.5% $968

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$368 16.2%

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7% 40.7% $150

Eating Out

Canada

$273 12%

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3% 65.7% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$246 10.8%

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9% 72.8% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.6%

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7% 48.3% $61

Getting Around

Canada

$92 4%

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5% 90.3% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$63 2.8%

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2% 68.4% $43

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,193 in Canada vs $57.0 in Sri Lanka. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,490 in Ottawa and $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Average salary: $2,896 in Canada vs $201 in Sri Lanka. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1993% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 215% more in Canada.

Public transport is 5700% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are 1341% higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

19:31 7:31 PM

9 h 30 min ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

21,444,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Canada Sri Lanka 13,710 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Canada vs Sri Lanka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sri Lanka is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 279% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,193 versus $57.0 in Sri Lanka.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sri Lanka, adding to the overall 279% price gap.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sri Lanka, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Sri Lanka is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.