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: $1,718 in Italy versus $487 in Sri Lanka.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,623 in Italy versus $780 in Sri Lanka.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,528 in Italy versus $1,073 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

$17.24 €14.75

$3.39 LKR 1,080

408.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.3 €68.7

$23.69 LKR 7,554

238.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.44 €9.79

$6.61 LKR 2,107

73.07%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.64

$2.60 LKR 831

-26.15%

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

$2.98 €2.55

$0.73 LKR 234

308.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.13

$0.36 LKR 115

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 €4.99

$2.31 LKR 737

152.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.42

$3.26 LKR 1,038

58.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.44

$1.68 LKR 536

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.06

$0.58 LKR 184

315.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.57

$0.81 LKR 258

270.37%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.49

$2.20 LKR 703

85.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.21 €13.88

$12.91 LKR 4,116

25.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 €10.83

$4.78 LKR 1,524

164.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.13 €17.23

$7.73 LKR 2,465

160.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 €2.23

$7.18 LKR 2,291

-63.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.89

$0.97 LKR 310

127.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.23

$5.82 LKR 1,855

-55.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.28 €2.81

$1.38 LKR 442

137.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.67

$1.11 LKR 353

75.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.57

$1.16 LKR 369

57.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$1.13 LKR 362

37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 €0.43

$0.57 LKR 183

-12.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €5.89

$10.14 LKR 3,232

-32.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €5.87

$12.47 LKR 3,978

-44.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.54

$2.14 LKR 682

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.16

$2.88 LKR 919

-12.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.66

$0.24 LKR 77.0

708.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.82 €35.80

$4.89 LKR 1,558

755.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.71 €4.88

$0.38 LKR 122

1402.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 €1.31

$0.32 LKR 103

378.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.12 €30.06

$0.52 LKR 166

6653.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.73

$1.26 LKR 400

61.11%

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

$31.8K €27.3K

$26.3K LKR 8.4M

21.28%

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

$33.3K €28.5K

$37.3K LKR 11.9M

-10.85%

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

$224 €192

$48.20 LKR 15.4K

364.54%

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

$13.50 €11.56

$4.61 LKR 1,471

192.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.92 €26.47

$15.35 LKR 4,896

101.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 €48.19

$12.99 LKR 4,141

333.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.38 €21.73

$6.02 LKR 1,920

321.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €8.91

$3.41 LKR 1,087

205.28%

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

$575 €492

$36.78 LKR 11.7K

1462.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K €9,043

$451 LKR 143.9K

2241.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.4 €76.5

$26.95 LKR 8,594

231.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.72 €34.00

$18.59 LKR 5,929

113.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 €85.2

$64.6 LKR 20.6K

53.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €111

$36.97 LKR 11.8K

251.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$854 €731

$272 LKR 86.6K

214.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 €558

$142 LKR 45.1K

360.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 €1,265

$609 LKR 194.1K

142.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 €949

$270 LKR 86.1K

310.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,926 €3,361

$3,459 LKR 1.1M

13.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,410 €2,063

$1,210 LKR 386.0K

99.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,932 €1,654

$218 LKR 69.5K

786.43%

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: April 27, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $54.0 in Sri Lanka. Capital cities: $1,349 in Rome vs $338 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

National salary averages: $1,935 in Italy, $196 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 887% 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 $1,842 per month in Italy and $377 in Sri Lanka, there's a 388% 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.