Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $1,838 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,838

/mo nomad

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,838 in Italy versus $608 in Sri Lanka.

Italy $1,838
Sri Lanka $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,793 in Italy versus $963 in Sri Lanka.

Italy $2,793
Sri Lanka $963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,748 in Italy versus $1,319 in Sri Lanka.

Italy $3,748
Sri Lanka $1,319

Living in Italy is roughly 202% more expensive than in Sri Lanka on average.

Italy (37% above) and Sri Lanka (55% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.52 €18.31

$2.76 LKR 913

643.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 €71.2

$19.14 LKR 6,333

316.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.30 €10.08

$7.39 LKR 2,446

52.91%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.82

$2.32 LKR 767

-12.07%

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

$2.98 €2.66

$0.66 LKR 217

351.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.29 LKR 95.5

365.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.97

$2.33 LKR 769

138.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 €4.91

$3.05 LKR 1,009

80.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.59 LKR 527

3.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.49 LKR 161

371.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$0.70 LKR 230

318.57%

Eggs

$4.10 €3.66

$1.62 LKR 537

153.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.49 €15.61

$12.02 LKR 3,976

45.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.66 €11.29

$4.25 LKR 1,406

197.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.70 €18.47

$7.37 LKR 2,439

180.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$5.61 LKR 1,857

-54.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$0.78 LKR 257

178.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$4.44 LKR 1,467

-41.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 €2.93

$1.26 LKR 416

160.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.94 LKR 310

107.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.83 LKR 273

121.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.81 LKR 268

93.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.45

$0.47 LKR 157

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$9.95 LKR 3,291

-31.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.95 €7.10

$11.98 LKR 3,962

-33.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.92 LKR 635

-8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.65 LKR 878

-7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.68

$0.19 LKR 62.8

889.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.69 €38.09

$5.95 LKR 1,970

617.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 €5.15

$0.46 LKR 154

1154.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.34 LKR 114

405.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.10 €30.43

$0.95 LKR 315

3489.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.27 LKR 420

66.14%

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

$37.1K €33.1K

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

23.53%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

-10.63%

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

$223 €199

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

381.56%

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

$11.53 €10.29

$4.00 LKR 1,324

188.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.07 €27.73

$16.77 LKR 5,547

85.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 €48.18

$12.28 LKR 4,063

339.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.15

$6.36 LKR 2,104

272.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.81 €9.64

$3.73 LKR 1,233

189.81%

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

$551 €492

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

1453.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$581 LKR 192.1K

1900.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €81.5

$20.41 LKR 6,752

347.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.49 €34.35

$15.50 LKR 5,129

148.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.0

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

43.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

246.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$797 €711

$309 LKR 102.2K

158.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €557

$139 LKR 46.0K

348.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,255

$765 LKR 253.2K

83.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 €940

$243 LKR 80.4K

332.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,680 €3,284

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

1.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,261 €2,018

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

99.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,925 €1,718

$216 LKR 71.5K

791.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

13.46

-73.55%

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

Last update for Italy: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.3%

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7% 77.7% $485

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$349 19.2%

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7% 37.5% $131

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.3%

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3% 66.4% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$265 14.6%

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9% 74.7% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$164 9%

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7% 59.9% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$76 4.2%

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2% 73.9% $56

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5% 86.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $730 in Italy, $57.0 in Sri Lanka. Capital cities: $1,205 in Rome vs $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

National salary averages: $1,908 in Italy, $201 in Sri Lanka. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1181% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 270% more in Italy.

Public transport is 4100% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 849% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

20:38 8:38 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

21,444,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Sri Lanka 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

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

At $1,838 per month in Italy and $608 in Sri Lanka, there's a 202% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Sri Lanka: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $730 in Italy 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 Italy 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.