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: $1,720 in Italy versus $486 in Sri Lanka.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,626 in Italy versus $778 in Sri Lanka.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,531 in Italy versus $1,070 in Sri Lanka.

Living in Italy is roughly 254% more expensive than in Sri Lanka on average.

Italy (29% above) and Sri Lanka (63% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.16 €14.86

$3.29 LKR 1,104

421.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 €70.5

$23.46 LKR 7,873

246.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 €10.05

$6.67 LKR 2,237

73.91%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.71

$2.71 LKR 908

-26.94%

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

$3.00 €2.60

$0.74 LKR 247

305.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.18

$0.36 LKR 122

277.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 €5.13

$2.30 LKR 773

157.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.55

$3.44 LKR 1,156

52.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.48

$1.67 LKR 561

1.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.05

$0.54 LKR 180

338.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.63

$0.79 LKR 266

283.54%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.42

$2.18 LKR 731

81.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.66 €14.43

$13.36 LKR 4,482

24.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.26 €10.61

$4.90 LKR 1,645

150.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 €17.37

$7.87 LKR 2,641

154.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.21

$7.17 LKR 2,407

-64.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.91

$1.01 LKR 339

117.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.38

$5.57 LKR 1,867

-50.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.79

$1.37 LKR 461

135.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.68

$1.14 LKR 382

70.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.58

$1.19 LKR 400

52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.28

$1.12 LKR 377

32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.43

$0.55 LKR 184

-9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.13 €6.17

$10.11 LKR 3,393

-29.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 €6.38

$12.06 LKR 4,047

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.52

$2.07 LKR 694

-14.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.19

$2.87 LKR 963

-11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.72

$0.22 LKR 73.4

804.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €36.65

$5.09 LKR 1,708

731.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €4.91

$0.39 LKR 131

1353.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.31

$0.35 LKR 118

334.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.94 €30.25

$0.48 LKR 160

7179.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.81

$1.30 LKR 437

60.77%

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

$32.7K €28.3K

$26.8K LKR 9.0M

21.90%

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

$32.9K €28.5K

$37.5K LKR 12.6M

-12.21%

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

$227 €196

$47.56 LKR 16.0K

376.75%

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

$13.58 €11.76

$4.56 LKR 1,531

197.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €27.34

$15.57 LKR 5,225

102.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 €49.93

$12.79 LKR 4,292

350.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.23 €21.85

$6.20 LKR 2,081

306.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 €9.18

$3.43 LKR 1,150

208.75%

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

$568 €492

$36.51 LKR 12.2K

1454.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,126

$438 LKR 147.1K

2303.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €78.5

$27.24 LKR 9,139

232.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.49 €35.06

$18.49 LKR 6,205

118.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.8 €86.4

$63.3 LKR 21.2K

57.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €112

$36.93 LKR 12.4K

250.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$865 €749

$268 LKR 89.9K

222.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 €582

$142 LKR 47.7K

373.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,523 €1,319

$622 LKR 208.8K

144.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 €934

$269 LKR 90.4K

300.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,767 €3,262

$3,617 LKR 1.2M

4.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,360 €2,044

$1,079 LKR 361.9K

118.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,949 €1,688

$207 LKR 69.6K

839.75%

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: July 27, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: July 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $743 in Italy, $55.0 in Sri Lanka. Capital cities: $1,334 in Rome vs $335 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $191 in Sri Lanka. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1251% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 289% more in Italy.

Public transport is 4300% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 901% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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 $1,817 per month in Italy and $375 in Sri Lanka, there's a 385% 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 simply cheaper in Sri Lanka: 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 is consistently higher than in 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 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.