Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $621 in Sri Lanka, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
Learn more

Sri Lanka Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $399 in India versus $621 in Sri Lanka.

India $399
Sri Lanka $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $639 in India versus $984 in Sri Lanka.

India $639
Sri Lanka $984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $879 in India versus $1,346 in Sri Lanka.

India $879
Sri Lanka $1,346

India ($230–$813) and Sri Lanka ($63–$804) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in India costs about 36% less than in Sri Lanka on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 71% lower, Sri Lanka 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₹204

$2.88 LKR 957

-25.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.46 ₹996

$19.75 LKR 6,568

-47.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.80 ₹362

$7.37 LKR 2,451

-48.44%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ₹160

$2.38 LKR 793

-29.41%

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

$0.38 ₹36.05

$0.60 LKR 199

-36.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ₹14.63

$0.28 LKR 91.9

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₹178

$2.18 LKR 724

-14.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ₹303

$3.05 LKR 1,015

4.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.62 ₹59.3

$1.61 LKR 534

-61.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹47.84

$0.51 LKR 170

-1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ₹60.4

$0.75 LKR 251

-16.00%

Eggs

$0.96 ₹91.4

$1.69 LKR 563

-43.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.85 ₹462

$11.82 LKR 3,930

-58.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ₹271

$4.19 LKR 1,394

-32.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 LKR 2,354

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 ₹191

$5.59 LKR 1,857

-64.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ₹61.5

$0.81 LKR 268

-19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.97 ₹92.4

$4.05 LKR 1,348

-76.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 ₹44.37

$1.28 LKR 427

-63.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹31.92

$0.88 LKR 294

-61.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₹39.79

$0.78 LKR 261

-46.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ₹44.46

$0.77 LKR 258

-38.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹29.72

$0.44 LKR 147

-29.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹484

$10.01 LKR 3,327

-49.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 ₹696

$12.00 LKR 3,988

-39.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₹155

$1.94 LKR 645

-15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₹263

$2.67 LKR 889

3.37%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₹24.89

$0.15 LKR 48.56

73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.58 ₹817

$6.24 LKR 2,075

37.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ₹94.8

$0.43 LKR 145

132.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹25.78

$0.38 LKR 125

-28.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹146

$0.92 LKR 304

67.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.23 LKR 410

-13.01%

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

$11.2K ₹1.1M

$44.4K LKR 14.7M

-74.71%

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

$20.1K ₹1.9M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-49.94%

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

$37.08 ₹3,532

$47.47 LKR 15.8K

-21.89%

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

$3.58 ₹341

$4.09 LKR 1,360

-12.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.15 ₹681

$16.72 LKR 5,558

-57.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.00 ₹1,429

$13.59 LKR 4,520

10.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.17 ₹683

$6.16 LKR 2,047

16.40%

Cinema Ticket

$3.20 ₹304

$4.29 LKR 1,427

-25.41%

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

$58.8 ₹5,601

$34.82 LKR 11.6K

68.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,667 ₹158.7K

$557 LKR 185.2K

199.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.03 ₹2,194

$20.77 LKR 6,905

10.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.17 ₹2,302

$14.85 LKR 4,938

62.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.20 ₹3,924

$70.5 LKR 23.4K

-41.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.62 ₹2,821

$35.79 LKR 11.9K

-17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₹14.0K

$322 LKR 106.9K

-54.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.4 ₹9,178

$148 LKR 49.1K

-34.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₹32.7K

$1,007 LKR 334.7K

-65.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 ₹22.3K

$290 LKR 96.4K

-19.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,177 ₹112.1K

$3,647 LKR 1.2M

-67.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 ₹60.3K

$1,106 LKR 367.7K

-42.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$409 ₹38.9K

$215 LKR 71.3K

90.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

13.46

-33.66%

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

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

India

$102 25.6%

Sri Lanka

$216 34.7% 111% $114

Accommodation & Living

India

$96 24.1%

Sri Lanka

$148 23.8% 53.3% $51

Eating Out

India

$67 16.7%

Sri Lanka

$94 15.2% 41.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

India

$53 13.3%

Sri Lanka

$64 10.3% 20.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

India

$48 12%

Sri Lanka

$68 11% 42.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

India

$21 5.4%

Sri Lanka

$22 3.6% 3.7% $0.8

Getting Around

India

$12 3%

Sri Lanka

$9.1 1.5% 23.7% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $120 in India, $196 in Sri Lanka. Capital cities: $277 in Delhi vs $300 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

National salary averages: $412 in India, $202 in Sri Lanka. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in Sri Lanka.

Dining out costs 109% more in Sri Lanka.

Public transport is 60% more expensive in India.

Salaries are about 2 times higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇮🇳 India

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

Same time as India

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,326,093,247

21,444,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.25 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

India Sri Lanka 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

India
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

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

At $399 per month in India and $621 in Sri Lanka, India comes out about 36% cheaper. 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 $196 in Sri Lanka and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.