Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Sri Lanka Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,719 in Italy versus $487 in Sri Lanka.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,625 in Italy versus $781 in Sri Lanka.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,531 in Italy versus $1,074 in Sri Lanka.

Living in Italy is roughly 253% more expensive than Sri Lanka on average.

Italy (28% above) and Sri Lanka (64% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €14.66

$3.29 LKR 1,098

417.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.3 €71.0

$23.38 LKR 7,799

252.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 €10.01

$6.59 LKR 2,198

76.33%

Cappuccino

$1.91 €1.64

$2.65 LKR 882

-27.92%

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

$3.02 €2.60

$0.68 LKR 226

344.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.13

$0.40 LKR 132

227.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.81 €5.01

$2.37 LKR 790

145.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 €4.41

$3.32 LKR 1,107

54.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.42

$1.68 LKR 560

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.09

$0.58 LKR 194

317.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.52

$0.80 LKR 265

265.00%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.55

$2.17 LKR 724

89.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.70 €14.39

$13.06 LKR 4,355

27.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €10.86

$4.80 LKR 1,601

162.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.61 €17.76

$7.75 LKR 2,586

165.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.14

$6.95 LKR 2,317

-64.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.02 LKR 341

110.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.35

$5.75 LKR 1,917

-52.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 €2.80

$1.33 LKR 442

144.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.67

$1.10 LKR 367

76.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.15 LKR 385

57.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.27

$1.13 LKR 378

30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.54 LKR 179

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €5.87

$10.13 LKR 3,379

-32.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 €6.32

$11.77 LKR 3,927

-37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$2.08 LKR 694

-13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.19

$2.94 LKR 981

-13.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 €1.73

$0.24 LKR 80.2

737.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.70 €35.93

$4.92 LKR 1,641

747.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 €5.09

$0.42 LKR 140

1304.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.31

$0.35 LKR 118

334.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.23 €29.50

$0.49 LKR 163

6885.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.83

$1.27 LKR 423

67.72%

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

$32.8K €28.3K

$26.4K LKR 8.8M

24.17%

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

$33.5K €28.9K

$37.4K LKR 12.5M

-10.31%

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

$226 €194

$47.24 LKR 15.8K

377.67%

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

$13.32 €11.48

$4.63 LKR 1,545

187.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.26 €26.94

$15.18 LKR 5,063

105.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 €49.02

$12.85 LKR 4,285

342.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.71 €22.15

$6.03 LKR 2,010

326.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.35 €8.92

$3.37 LKR 1,124

207.12%

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

$579 €499

$36.50 LKR 12.2K

1486.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,076

$442 LKR 147.3K

2285.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.2 €77.7

$27.11 LKR 9,042

232.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 €35.15

$18.92 LKR 6,312

115.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 €85.1

$63.3 LKR 21.1K

55.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €115

$36.78 LKR 12.3K

261.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €735

$264 LKR 88.0K

223.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €575

$141 LKR 47.0K

373.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,307

$614 LKR 204.8K

147.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 €933

$271 LKR 90.4K

299.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,767 €3,245

$3,660 LKR 1.2M

2.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,403 €2,071

$1,117 LKR 372.5K

115.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,986 €1,711

$207 LKR 69.1K

859.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

16.21

-72.79%

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

Last update for Italy: June 9, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $54.0 in Sri Lanka. Capital cities: $1,368 in Rome vs $334 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

National salary averages: $1,931 in Italy, $190 in Sri Lanka. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1274% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 289% more in Italy.

Public transport is 4300% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 916% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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 $1,804 per month in Italy and $376 in Sri Lanka, there's a 380% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Sri Lanka is simply cheaper day-to-day: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy beats Sri Lanka across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Sri Lanka, $1,200 covers most cities easily. In Italy, it works in regional areas but 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.