Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hikkaduwa and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $509 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hikkaduwa
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$509
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hikkaduwa and in London

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $3,986 in London.

  • Hikkaduwa $509
  • London $3,986

Estimated couple costs with rent: $826 in Hikkaduwa versus $5,791 in London.

  • Hikkaduwa $826
  • London $5,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,144 in Hikkaduwa versus $7,595 in London.

  • Hikkaduwa $1,144
  • London $7,595

Living in Hikkaduwa costs roughly 87% less than in London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hikkaduwa is 62% below, London is 195% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.45 LKR 1,475
$25.93 £19.54
-82.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.59 LKR 8,144
$107 £80.3
-76.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.57 LKR 2,507
$10.71 £8.07
-29.32%
Cappuccino
$2.50 LKR 827
$5.47 £4.13
-54.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 LKR 238
$2.97 £2.24
-75.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 LKR 90.1
$2.20 £1.66
-87.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 LKR 716
$9.13 £6.88
-76.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 LKR 998
$7.94 £5.98
-62.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.57 LKR 520
$1.86 £1.40
-15.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 LKR 175
$2.07 £1.56
-74.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.80 LKR 266
$2.42 £1.82
-66.94%
Eggs
$1.60 LKR 530
$5.09 £3.83
-68.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.00 LKR 4,636
$12.87 £9.70
8.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.88 LKR 1,618
$10.43 £7.86
-53.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.26 LKR 2,405
$16.87 £12.71
-56.97%
Apples (1kg)
$6.84 LKR 2,265
$3.11 £2.34
119.94%
Banana (1kg)
$0.85 LKR 281
$1.40 £1.06
-39.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.46 LKR 1,478
$3.08 £2.32
44.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.23 LKR 406
$3.27 £2.46
-62.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 LKR 339
$1.58 £1.19
-35.44%
Onion (1kg)
$0.82 LKR 270
$1.74 £1.31
-52.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.92 LKR 306
$1.40 £1.06
-34.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 LKR 145
$1.80 £1.35
-75.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.32 LKR 3,418
$23.28 £17.54
-55.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.70 LKR 4,536
$13.03 £9.82
5.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 LKR 625
$3.17 £2.39
-40.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 LKR 998
$4.42 £3.33
-31.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$4.07 £3.07
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$247 £186
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 LKR 126
$5.58 £4.20
-93.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 LKR 123
$3.36 £2.53
-88.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.88 LKR 293
$56.8 £42.76
-98.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 LKR 441
$2.13 £1.61
-37.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.8K LKR 12.5M
$38.2K £28.8K
-1.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.9K LKR 13.5M
$40.9K £30.8K
0.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.8 LKR 18.2K
$372 £280
-85.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.14 LKR 1,371
$17.82 £13.42
-76.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.01 LKR 6,959
$40.37 £30.42
-47.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$60.0 £45.19
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$21.29 £16.04
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.45 LKR 1,474
$17.74 £13.37
-74.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.63 LKR 12.5K
$2,864 £2,158
-98.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,227 LKR 406.4K
$35.3K £26.6K
-96.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.35 LKR 6,077
$114 £85.9
-83.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.80 LKR 5,564
$54.3 £40.89
-69.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$77.6 LKR 25.7K
$124 £93.6
-37.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.92 LKR 14.2K
$163 £123
-73.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,869 £2,162
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$2,233 £1,683
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$5,266 £3,968
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,778 £2,847
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$18.3K £13.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$8,024 £6,046
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hikkaduwa
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$5,037 £3,795
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
4.74
167.72%

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

Last update for Hikkaduwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Hikkaduwa
$239
London
$349 46.5% $111
Eating Out
Hikkaduwa
$109
London
$388 255% $278
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hikkaduwa
$80
London
$430 438% $350
Clothing & Footwear
Hikkaduwa
$70
London
$205 193% $135
Sport & Entertainment
Hikkaduwa
$8.9 *
London
$95 973% $87
Getting Around
Hikkaduwa
$2.2 *
London
$285 12642% $283
Accommodation & Living
Hikkaduwa
- *
London
$2.2K

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25.00 in Hikkaduwa vs $107 in London for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $349 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
15:47 3:47 PM
11:17 11:17 AM
4 h 30 min behind Hikkaduwa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
101,342
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.754 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.845 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hikkaduwa London 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hikkaduwa
  • London

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
Hikkaduwa vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is London cheaper than Hikkaduwa?
Hikkaduwa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 683% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $763 in Hikkaduwa and $5,979 in London to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do food prices compare in Hikkaduwa and in London?
Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Hikkaduwa and in London?
All in, you'll spend $509 per month in Hikkaduwa versus $3,986 in London – a 683% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Hikkaduwa or in London?
At $509 in Hikkaduwa versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Hikkaduwa or London more family-friendly?
For families, Hikkaduwa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Hikkaduwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 683% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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