Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaffna and Matara Cost of Living Comparison Between Jaffna and Matara

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Jaffna is 29.1% cheaper than Matara without rent, and 10.8% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Jaffna is 37% cheaper than Matara without rent, and 27.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
-
$2.46 LKRĀ 763
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
-
$25.07 LKRĀ 7,788
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.09 LKRĀ 1,580
$8.24 LKRĀ 2,562
-38.23%
Cappuccino
$3.33 LKRĀ 1,036
$2.68 LKRĀ 832
24.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 LKRĀ 161
$0.72 LKRĀ 224
-27.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 LKRĀ 98.9
$0.41 LKRĀ 127
-21.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.27 LKRĀ 1,017
$2.35 LKRĀ 732
39.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.84 LKRĀ 2,125
$3.32 LKRĀ 1,033
106.02%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
-
$1.70 LKRĀ 529
-
White Bread (500g)
$0.54 LKRĀ 169
$0.55 LKRĀ 171
-1.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 LKRĀ 223
$0.87 LKRĀ 269
-17.24%
Eggs
$1.62 LKRĀ 505
$2.19 LKRĀ 681
-26.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.88 LKRĀ 1,517
$13.83 LKRĀ 4,296
-64.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.46 LKRĀ 1,075
$4.81 LKRĀ 1,495
-28.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 LKRĀ 2,130
$7.90 LKRĀ 2,454
-13.16%
Apples (1kg)
$3.99 LKRĀ 1,239
$7.54 LKRĀ 2,342
-47.08%
Banana (1kg)
$0.56 LKRĀ 174
$0.51 LKRĀ 159
9.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.33 LKRĀ 1,035
$5.67 LKRĀ 1,761
-41.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.70 LKRĀ 528
$0.68 LKRĀ 211
150.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 LKRĀ 346
$0.81 LKRĀ 253
38.27%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 LKRĀ 230
$0.52 LKRĀ 163
42.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 LKRĀ 202
$1.14 LKRĀ 354
-42.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKRĀ 135
$0.61 LKRĀ 188
-29.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.61 LKRĀ 3,918
$10.02 LKRĀ 3,114
25.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.62 LKRĀ 6,096
$12.91 LKRĀ 4,011
51.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.78 LKRĀ 865
$2.01 LKRĀ 625
38.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.93 LKRĀ 909
-
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 LKRĀ 107
$0.16 LKRĀ 50.2
118.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.25 LKRĀ 1,010
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.52 LKRĀ 161
$0.42 LKRĀ 129
23.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.35 LKRĀ 110
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$0.61 LKRĀ 189
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 LKRĀ 303
$1.20 LKRĀ 374
-19.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$26.8K LKRĀ 8.3M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$50.8K LKRĀ 15.8M
$34.3K LKRĀ 10.7M
48.27%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.0 LKRĀ 15.9K
$25.93 LKRĀ 8,057
96.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.39 LKRĀ 1,053
$4.22 LKRĀ 1,312
-19.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
-
$5.05 LKRĀ 1,568
-
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$6.60 LKRĀ 2,049
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$1.97 LKRĀ 611
$3.43 LKRĀ 1,066
-42.57%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$36.66 LKRĀ 11.4K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$437 LKRĀ 135.8K
-
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.61 LKRĀ 12.3K
$27.34 LKRĀ 8,494
44.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
-
$19.31 LKRĀ 6,001
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$69.6 LKRĀ 21.6K
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$38.21 LKRĀ 11.9K
-
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$171 LKRĀ 53.0K
$165 LKRĀ 51.2K
3.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$150 LKRĀ 46.6K
$116 LKRĀ 36.0K
29.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$252 LKRĀ 78.2K
$511 LKRĀ 158.8K
-50.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$220 LKRĀ 68.5K
$169 LKRĀ 52.5K
30.55%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Jaffna
Matara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$98.6 LKRĀ 30.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
16.45
-

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Jaffna: March 1, 2026

Last update for Matara: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter ā€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.
Cost of Living Index Most Popular Cities Affordable Cities by Size