Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Sri Lanka Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Sri Lanka

😐 Solo nomad: China is 6% more expensive than Sri Lanka without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: China is 4.6% more expensive than Sri Lanka without rent, and 24.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.82 ¥19.51
$3.34 LKR 1,038
-15.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.62 ¥163
$23.90 LKR 7,426
-1.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.97 ¥34.35
$6.75 LKR 2,099
-26.37%
Cappuccino
$3.14 ¥21.66
$2.61 LKR 811
20.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ¥3.07
$0.69 LKR 215
-36.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.84
$0.37 LKR 115
-27.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.93 ¥6.40
$2.31 LKR 718
-59.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 ¥14.37
$3.25 LKR 1,010
-36.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.84 ¥12.70
$1.74 LKR 542
5.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ¥11.17
$0.59 LKR 182
174.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.96 ¥6.62
$0.83 LKR 259
15.66%
Eggs
$1.56 ¥10.76
$2.21 LKR 687
-29.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.18 ¥91.1
$13.32 LKR 4,138
-1.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.21 ¥22.15
$4.93 LKR 1,531
-34.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ¥75.3
$7.74 LKR 2,404
40.70%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 ¥12.20
$7.09 LKR 2,203
-75.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 ¥8.64
$0.98 LKR 305
27.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 ¥10.53
$5.73 LKR 1,781
-73.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 ¥7.95
$1.38 LKR 427
-16.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.76 ¥5.28
$1.14 LKR 355
-33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 ¥6.14
$1.20 LKR 373
-25.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 ¥4.24
$1.12 LKR 349
-45.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ¥3.72
$0.59 LKR 182
-8.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.38 ¥23.33
$9.96 LKR 3,094
-66.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.67 ¥80.6
$13.01 LKR 4,042
-10.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.78 ¥5.39
$2.12 LKR 658
-63.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ¥11.54
$2.89 LKR 896
-42.21%
🚌 Getting Around
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.43 ¥2.98
$0.22 LKR 68.2
95.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.93 ¥145
$4.91 LKR 1,525
326.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ¥9.74
$0.39 LKR 120
261.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 ¥2.44
$0.32 LKR 101
9.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.48 ¥44.78
$0.52 LKR 162
1146.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥8.04
$1.25 LKR 390
-7.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K ¥133.1K
$26.7K LKR 8.3M
-27.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.0K ¥117.4K
$38.4K LKR 11.9M
-55.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.3 ¥354
$46.49 LKR 14.4K
10.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.84 ¥68.0
$4.43 LKR 1,377
122.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.49 ¥79.4
$15.06 LKR 4,680
-23.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.28 ¥278
$13.07 LKR 4,062
208.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.78 ¥102
$6.05 LKR 1,881
144.30%
Cinema Ticket
$6.41 ¥44.30
$3.43 LKR 1,067
86.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$403 ¥2,787
$36.56 LKR 11.4K
1003.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.9K ¥123.5K
$451 LKR 140.2K
3860.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.91 ¥317
$27.62 LKR 8,583
66.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.39 ¥224
$18.74 LKR 5,822
72.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.2 ¥492
$64.5 LKR 20.1K
10.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.0 ¥511
$37.41 LKR 11.6K
97.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 ¥3,013
$267 LKR 82.9K
63.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$254 ¥1,752
$139 LKR 43.2K
82.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$900 ¥6,219
$621 LKR 192.9K
45.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$548 ¥3,787
$272 LKR 84.6K
101.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,140 ¥35.5K
$3,630 LKR 1.1M
41.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,676 ¥18.5K
$1,246 LKR 387.1K
114.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
China
Sri Lanka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,024 ¥7,079
$217 LKR 67.5K
371.46%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.06
16.21
-74.95%

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

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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