Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $784 in China, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
Learn more

Sri Lanka Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China 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 China and in Sri Lanka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in China versus $608 in Sri Lanka.

China $784
Sri Lanka $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,268 in China versus $963 in Sri Lanka.

China $1,268
Sri Lanka $963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,752 in China versus $1,319 in Sri Lanka.

China $1,752
Sri Lanka $1,319

Living in China is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sri Lanka on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Sri Lanka 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.39

$2.76 LKR 913

5.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

$19.14 LKR 6,333

15.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.74

$7.39 LKR 2,446

-29.63%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.31

$2.32 LKR 767

31.03%

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

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.66 LKR 217

-21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.29 LKR 95.5

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$2.33 LKR 769

-56.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.64

$3.05 LKR 1,009

-28.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.59 LKR 527

10.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.96

$0.49 LKR 161

234.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.70 LKR 230

31.43%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$1.62 LKR 537

-1.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$12.02 LKR 3,976

8.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$4.25 LKR 1,406

-21.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.7

$7.37 LKR 2,439

51.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$5.61 LKR 1,857

-67.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$0.78 LKR 257

67.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$4.44 LKR 1,467

-66.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.26 LKR 416

4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$0.94 LKR 310

-19.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$0.83 LKR 273

10.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.81 LKR 268

-27.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.47 LKR 157

14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$9.95 LKR 3,291

-61.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 ¥81.1

$11.98 LKR 3,962

1.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.92 LKR 635

-57.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$2.65 LKR 878

-38.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.19 LKR 62.8

52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

$5.95 LKR 1,970

275.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$0.46 LKR 154

232.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$0.34 LKR 114

2.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$0.95 LKR 315

636.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$1.27 LKR 420

3.15%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

-36.65%

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

$17.0K ¥113.7K

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

-57.72%

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

$54.1 ¥362

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

17.14%

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

$8.42 ¥56.3

$4.00 LKR 1,324

110.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.6

$16.77 LKR 5,547

-36.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.72 ¥272

$12.28 LKR 4,063

231.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.4

$6.36 LKR 2,104

129.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.15

$3.73 LKR 1,233

81.23%

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

$462 ¥3,089

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

1203.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$581 LKR 192.1K

3274.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 ¥305

$20.41 LKR 6,752

123.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥241

$15.50 LKR 5,129

132.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

3.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

111.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,577

$309 LKR 102.2K

24.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,601

$139 LKR 46.0K

72.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,637

$765 LKR 253.2K

10.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,083

$243 LKR 80.4K

89.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

101.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,082

$216 LKR 71.5K

390.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

13.46

-74.29%

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

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30.1%

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7% 42% $101

Groceries & Markets

China

$207 26.1%

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7% 5.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

China

$106 13.4%

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7% 38.2% $41

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3% 6.5% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.2%

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9% 8.6% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2% 63.6% $34

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5% 66.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $297 in China, $57.0 in Sri Lanka. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

National salary averages: $868 in China, $201 in Sri Lanka. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 421% higher in China.

Public transport is 1600% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 332% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

2 h 30 min behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

21,444,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

China Sri Lanka 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Sri Lanka

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

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

At $784 per month in China and $608 in Sri Lanka, there's a 29% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $297 in China and $57.0 in Sri Lanka. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Sri Lanka, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Sri Lanka wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.