Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Da Lat and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $612 in Da Lat, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Da Lat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

Jump to prices

Da Lat

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$612

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Da Lat and in Kandy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $612 in Da Lat versus $513 in Kandy.

Da Lat $612
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $917 in Da Lat versus $728 in Kandy.

Da Lat $917
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,221 in Da Lat versus $943 in Kandy.

Da Lat $1,221
Kandy $943

Living in Da Lat is roughly 19% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Da Lat 55% lower, Kandy 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ₫57.9K

$2.66 LKR 885

-15.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.77 ₫407.3K

$13.01 LKR 4,324

21.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ₫133.5K

$6.00 LKR 1,996

-13.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ₫43.0K

$1.90 LKR 632

-12.63%

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

$0.58 ₫15.1K

$0.52 LKR 174

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₫7,967

$0.26 LKR 87.1

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ₫22.4K

$1.86 LKR 620

-53.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₫40.4K

$2.80 LKR 931

-44.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.9K

$1.15 LKR 382

37.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$0.52 LKR 174

142.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.3K

$0.77 LKR 255

57.14%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$1.71 LKR 568

-4.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 ₫194.3K

$5.14 LKR 1,708

46.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₫105.1K

$4.25 LKR 1,412

-4.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 ₫115.4K

$6.87 LKR 2,285

-34.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 ₫106.9K

$3.14 LKR 1,043

31.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 ₫46.8K

$0.84 LKR 280

115.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 ₫83.3K

$1.73 LKR 574

86.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ₫41.5K

$1.29 LKR 429

24.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₫45.1K

$1.02 LKR 339

71.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.2K

$0.83 LKR 277

87.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$0.43 LKR 144

62.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$0.42 LKR 140

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-78.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.12 ₫209.8K

$11.28 LKR 3,751

-28.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₫12.5K

$1.93 LKR 643

-75.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ₫55.6K

$2.08 LKR 691

3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,776

$0.16 LKR 53.3

112.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,457

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$0.41 LKR 136

39.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ₫27.9K

$0.35 LKR 116

208.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.84 ₫21.6K

$1.15 LKR 383

-26.96%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

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

$39.51 ₫1.0M

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

-33.05%

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

$4.41 ₫113.9K

$3.86 LKR 1,282

14.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.89 ₫384.6K

$12.72 LKR 4,227

17.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.83 ₫331.4K

$10.85 LKR 3,606

18.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,262

Cinema Ticket

$1.89 ₫48.8K

$2.74 LKR 909

-31.02%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,199

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 101.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,078

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,831

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₫7.5M

$172 LKR 57.2K

68.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ₫7.1M

$113 LKR 37.5K

144.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₫16.6M

$172 LKR 57.2K

274.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 ₫12.0M

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

395.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$422 ₫10.9M

$262 LKR 86.9K

61.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Da Lat: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Accommodation & Living

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$113 22%

Eating Out

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Getting Around

Da Lat

–

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $289 in Da Lat and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Da Lat pays 61% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $16 in Da Lat vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $189 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Da Lat

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

1 h 30 min behind Da Lat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,014

125,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Da Lat Kandy 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Da Lat
Kandy

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

Da Lat vs Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Da Lat and Kandy differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($612 vs $513 including rent). Kandy is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 61% higher in Da Lat, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $289 in Da Lat versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kandy – a meal for two runs $13 versus $16 in Da Lat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $612 per month in Da Lat versus $513 in Kandy – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kandy gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Da Lat and Kandy are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Kandy wins on affordability, Da Lat on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.