Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gampaha and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $453 a month against $477 in Ratnapura, rent and utilities included – about $290 less a year. The total is higher in Ratnapura despite lower rent and utilities.

22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index

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Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$453

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gampaha and in Ratnapura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $453 in Gampaha versus $477 in Ratnapura.

Gampaha $453
Ratnapura $477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $768 in Gampaha versus $766 in Ratnapura.

Gampaha $768
Ratnapura $766

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,083 in Gampaha versus $1,056 in Ratnapura.

Gampaha $1,083
Ratnapura $1,056

Living in Gampaha costs roughly 5% less than in Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gampaha 67% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 LKR 609

$1.98 LKR 654

-7.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.22 LKR 6,034

$9.04 LKR 2,994

101.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 LKR 1,721

$5.96 LKR 1,974

-12.75%

Cappuccino

$1.24 LKR 410

$2.12 LKR 704

-41.51%

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

$0.53 LKR 176

$0.75 LKR 247

-29.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.1

$0.47 LKR 156

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 LKR 701

$1.94 LKR 644

9.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,010

$2.67 LKR 883

14.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 539

$1.85 LKR 614

-11.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 LKR 135

$0.78 LKR 259

-47.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 241

$0.61 LKR 204

19.67%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 548

$1.06 LKR 353

55.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 LKR 4,607

$14.90 LKR 4,934

-6.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 LKR 1,334

$6.25 LKR 2,071

-35.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 LKR 2,460

$15.90 LKR 5,266

-53.27%

Apples (1kg)

$5.95 LKR 1,972

$4.27 LKR 1,416

39.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 270

$0.74 LKR 245

10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 LKR 1,493

$4.35 LKR 1,441

3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 436

$0.95 LKR 314

38.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 LKR 314

$1.00 LKR 332

-5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 277

$1.38 LKR 457

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 LKR 94.8

$0.46 LKR 151

-36.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.43 LKR 142

-20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 LKR 3,273

$13.09 LKR 4,337

-24.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.04 LKR 4,319

$12.86 LKR 4,261

1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 LKR 447

$2.02 LKR 668

-33.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 LKR 808

$2.79 LKR 925

-12.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 LKR 95.2

$0.34 LKR 114

-14.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 LKR 95.0

$0.35 LKR 115

-17.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 LKR 120

$0.43 LKR 143

-16.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 295

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 LKR 388

$0.91 LKR 302

28.57%

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

$30.6K LKR 10.1M

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

54.41%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.2M

$19.5K LKR 6.5M

104.44%

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

$27.15 LKR 8,994

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

$2.99 LKR 991

$2.07 LKR 686

44.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.85 LKR 3,592

$7.38 LKR 2,445

47.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.73 LKR 2,561

$8.94 LKR 2,963

-13.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 LKR 1,508

$2.40 LKR 793

89.58%

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

$14.93 LKR 4,944

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$121 LKR 40.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,054

$10.42 LKR 3,452

75.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.02 LKR 2,987

$7.54 LKR 2,497

19.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.9 LKR 19.8K

$83.1 LKR 27.5K

-27.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.95 LKR 7,933

$25.42 LKR 8,419

-5.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$90.2 LKR 29.9K

$75.7 LKR 25.1K

19.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.4 LKR 18.7K

$55.3 LKR 18.3K

2.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$302 LKR 100.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 LKR 54.0K

$86.1 LKR 28.5K

89.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$231 LKR 76.4K

$172 LKR 57.0K

33.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Gampaha: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gampaha

$221 48.7%

Ratnapura

$259 54.2% 17.2% $38

Eating Out

Gampaha

$65 14.3%

Ratnapura

$79 16.6% 21.8% $14

Accommodation & Living

Gampaha

$56 12.5%

Ratnapura

$55 11.6% 2% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Gampaha

$50 11%

Ratnapura

$57 11.9% 13.7% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gampaha

$41 9%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 76.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Gampaha

$17 3.7%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 18.4% $3.1

Getting Around

Gampaha

$3.2 * 0.7%

Ratnapura

$3.9 * 0.8% 20.1% $0.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $90.2 in Gampaha and $75.7 in Ratnapura. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gampaha pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $18.00 in Gampaha vs $9.00 in Ratnapura. Groceries flip the comparison at $221 vs $259, with Gampaha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as Gampaha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

52,100

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gampaha Ratnapura 64 km

From you

Gampaha
Ratnapura

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

Gampaha vs Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gampaha and Ratnapura differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($453 vs $477 including rent). Gampaha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Gampaha, 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: $90.2 in Gampaha versus $75.7 in Ratnapura. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Gampaha – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $9.00 in Ratnapura. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $453 per month in Gampaha versus $477 in Ratnapura – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Gampaha 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, Gampaha and Ratnapura are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Ratnapura. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.