Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaffna and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

For one person, living costs are similar in Jaffna and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $486 and $487 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Living Index

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Jaffna

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$486

/mo nomad

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jaffna and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jaffna and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $486 per month in Jaffna vs $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, rent included.

Jaffna $486
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487

A couple spends around $774 per month in Jaffna vs $790 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, rent included.

Jaffna $774
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790

A family of three spends $1,063 per month in Jaffna vs $1,093 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, rent included.

Jaffna $1,063
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093

Jaffna and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Jaffna and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia are more affordable than the global median – Jaffna 64% lower, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.04 LKR 345

$1.49 LKR 494

-30.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.54 LKR 13.1K

$25.02 LKR 8,286

58.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 LKR 1,544

$7.49 LKR 2,481

-37.78%

Cappuccino

$3.22 LKR 1,065

$2.54 LKR 840

26.77%

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

$1.60 LKR 531

$0.73 LKR 240

119.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 LKR 173

$0.27 LKR 90.3

92.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 LKR 1,183

$2.22 LKR 736

60.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.99 LKR 1,983

$3.00 LKR 993

99.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 LKR 224

$1.62 LKR 537

-58.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 LKR 161

$0.53 LKR 174

-9.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 LKR 212

$0.81 LKR 267

-20.99%

Eggs

$1.40 LKR 464

$1.65 LKR 546

-15.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.45 LKR 1,474

$13.93 LKR 4,614

-68.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 LKR 1,058

$4.85 LKR 1,606

-34.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.91 LKR 1,959

$7.54 LKR 2,496

-21.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 LKR 1,233

$6.42 LKR 2,125

-42.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.50 LKR 166

$0.87 LKR 288

-42.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.07 LKR 1,016

$4.37 LKR 1,448

-29.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 LKR 491

$1.29 LKR 426

14.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 327

$1.00 LKR 332

-1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 LKR 205

$0.78 LKR 259

-20.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 LKR 207

$0.88 LKR 291

-28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 LKR 131

$0.45 LKR 149

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.67 LKR 3,865

$10.38 LKR 3,439

12.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.26 LKR 6,047

$13.03 LKR 4,317

40.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 LKR 848

$1.89 LKR 626

35.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 994

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 103

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.08 LKR 1,020

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 155

$0.38 LKR 125

23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 LKR 75.5

$0.35 LKR 115

-34.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 LKR 430

$1.38 LKR 457

-5.80%

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

$43.0K LKR 14.2M

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

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

13.13%

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

$45.41 LKR 15.0K

$58.3 LKR 19.3K

-22.14%

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

$2.95 LKR 977

$4.28 LKR 1,418

-31.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 LKR 6,888

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$5.97 LKR 1,977

Cinema Ticket

$1.84 LKR 609

$4.59 LKR 1,519

-59.91%

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

$38.36 LKR 12.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,206 LKR 399.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.40 LKR 12.1K

$18.46 LKR 6,116

97.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 LKR 5,474

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.38 LKR 14.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$154 LKR 51.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 LKR 45.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$224 LKR 74.2K

$460 LKR 152.2K

-51.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 LKR 64.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 71.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Jaffna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$236 48.5%

Eating Out

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$86 17.7%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$83 17.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$70 14.4%

Sport & Entertainment

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$9.2 * 1.9%

Getting Around

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$2.1 * 0.4%

Accommodation & Living

Jaffna

–

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

- * 0%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Jaffna versus $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Groceries tell a different story – $169 in Jaffna vs $236 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia – so Jaffna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Jaffna

🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

Same time as Jaffna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

600,000

219,827

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Jaffna Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 310 km

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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

Jaffna vs Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $729 per month in Jaffna and $730 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Jaffna and $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $486 in Jaffna and $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jaffna costs $486 versus $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jaffna. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.