Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $459 a month against $726 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Galle
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Galle Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$726

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Galle

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Chengdu vs $459 in Galle, rent included.

Chengdu $726
Galle $459

A couple spends around $1,170 per month in Chengdu vs $748 in Galle, rent included.

Chengdu $1,170
Galle $748

A family of three spends $1,614 per month in Chengdu vs $1,038 in Galle, rent included.

Chengdu $1,614
Galle $1,038

Chengdu costs about 58% more than Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chengdu and Galle are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 47% lower, Galle 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.44

$1.46 LKR 484

100.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.28 ¥148

$23.83 LKR 7,923

-6.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 ¥32.29

$7.40 LKR 2,459

-34.46%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ¥19.95

$1.77 LKR 588

69.49%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$0.67 LKR 222

-23.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.73

$0.27 LKR 89.8

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 ¥10.06

$1.16 LKR 387

30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.20

$1.47 LKR 488

55.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.29

$1.64 LKR 545

12.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$0.57 LKR 190

161.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.58

$0.75 LKR 248

32.00%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.70

$1.64 LKR 546

-1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.31 ¥95.2

$13.58 LKR 4,513

5.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.25

$4.76 LKR 1,584

-23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ¥73.4

$7.46 LKR 2,480

47.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.62

$6.54 LKR 2,174

-70.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ¥9.23

$0.73 LKR 243

90.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$4.35 LKR 1,447

-76.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ¥7.98

$1.29 LKR 429

-6.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.91

$1.05 LKR 349

-29.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 ¥4.57

$0.81 LKR 270

-14.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 ¥4.23

$0.92 LKR 306

-30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.84

$0.45 LKR 150

28.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.54

$10.17 LKR 3,382

-63.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.37 ¥29.09

$9.05 LKR 3,010

-51.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ¥5.58

$1.87 LKR 622

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.82

$3.05 LKR 1,015

-51.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.13 LKR 43.44

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.23 ¥168

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ¥8.83

$0.29 LKR 96.3

358.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.31 LKR 103

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 ¥29.08

$0.93 LKR 308

369.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.38 LKR 460

-7.97%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-54.15%

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

$18.0K ¥120.1K

$40.5K LKR 13.5M

-55.40%

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

$46.65 ¥310

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

-20.93%

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

$9.40 ¥62.6

$4.29 LKR 1,426

119.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.87 ¥85.7

$20.50 LKR 6,817

-37.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.11 ¥180

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.21 ¥74.6

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 ¥41.03

$4.46 LKR 1,484

38.34%

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

$1,161 ¥7,726

$38.10 LKR 12.7K

2947.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K ¥101.5K

$1,187 LKR 394.5K

1185.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.36 ¥169

$18.31 LKR 6,086

38.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.52 ¥183

$16.40 LKR 5,453

67.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.1 ¥380

$78.4 LKR 26.1K

-27.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 ¥354

$41.83 LKR 13.9K

27.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ¥2,830

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 ¥1,540

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 ¥5,027

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,179

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,476 ¥23.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,845 ¥12.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 ¥8,504

$313 LKR 103.9K

308.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

12.69

-73.36%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Galle: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$231 31.9%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$195 26.8%

Galle

$227 49.4% 16.5% $32

Eating Out

Chengdu

$89 12.3%

Galle

$68 14.7% 24.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 10.1%

Galle

$70 15.2% 5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.5%

Galle

$84 18.2% 21.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.4%

Galle

$8.9 * 1.9% 77.4% $31

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 4%

Galle

$2.4 * 0.5% 91.9% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chengdu are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu versus $24 in Galle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $227 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

04:25 4:25 AM

2 h 30 min behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

100,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Galle 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Galle

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

Chengdu vs Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $726 in Chengdu, $459 in Galle – Galle comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Chengdu and $689 in Galle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chengdu and $24 in Galle. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Chengdu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $726 in Chengdu and $459 in Galle, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Galle has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $459 in Galle to $726 in Chengdu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Galle. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.