Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalutara and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $608 a month against $918 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
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Kalutara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kalutara and in Cebu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Kalutara versus $918 in Cebu.

Kalutara $608
Cebu $918

Estimated couple costs with rent: $888 in Kalutara versus $1,409 in Cebu.

Kalutara $888
Cebu $1,409

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,169 in Kalutara versus $1,900 in Cebu.

Kalutara $1,169
Cebu $1,900

Living in Kalutara costs roughly 34% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kalutara 55% lower, Cebu 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 LKR 1,292

$3.09 ₱194

26.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.14 LKR 8,326

$24.22 ₱1,525

3.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,481

$3.92 ₱247

91.07%

Cappuccino

$2.48 LKR 821

$2.51 ₱158

-1.20%

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

$0.73 LKR 241

$1.59 ₱100

-54.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.5

$0.53 ₱33.43

-49.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 713

$1.78 ₱112

20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,014

$2.17 ₱137

41.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 543

$1.92 ₱121

-14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 176

$1.36 ₱85.4

-61.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 249

$1.01 ₱63.5

-25.74%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$2.03 ₱128

-15.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 LKR 4,469

$9.86 ₱621

36.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 LKR 1,625

$4.39 ₱277

11.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.42 LKR 2,457

$7.60 ₱479

-2.37%

Apples (1kg)

$6.49 LKR 2,149

$3.30 ₱208

96.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.39 ₱87.8

-41.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,413

$2.33 ₱147

83.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 418

$1.50 ₱94.3

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 328

$2.36 ₱149

-58.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.90 ₱119

-57.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 289

$1.19 ₱74.9

-26.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.63 ₱39.71

-31.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.32 LKR 3,418

$3.00 ₱189

244.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.02 LKR 4,312

$6.03 ₱379

115.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 629

$1.23 ₱77.7

54.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LKR 999

$1.75 ₱110

72.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.12 LKR 39.13

$0.25 ₱15.86

-52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.29 LKR 3,077

$12.64 ₱796

-26.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.77 ₱48.62

-50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 LKR 59.8

$0.23 ₱14.53

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 307

$4.46 ₱281

-79.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 456

$1.31 ₱82.8

5.34%

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

$37.3K LKR 12.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

75.82%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

113.46%

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

$58.9 LKR 19.5K

$120 ₱7,569

-51.03%

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

$4.27 LKR 1,413

$14.00 ₱882

-69.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.99 LKR 6,953

$27.54 ₱1,734

-23.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.89 LKR 2,944

$32.33 ₱2,035

-72.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ₱419

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 LKR 1,511

$5.65 ₱356

-19.29%

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

$38.39 LKR 12.7K

$275 ₱17.3K

-86.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,205 LKR 399.0K

$7,918 ₱498.5K

-84.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.10 LKR 5,995

$49.33 ₱3,106

-63.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.86 LKR 5,584

$25.24 ₱1,589

-33.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 LKR 26.4K

$77.0 ₱4,846

3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.88 LKR 13.9K

$57.2 ₱3,601

-26.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₱31.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$85.7 LKR 28.4K

$309 ₱19.4K

-72.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ₱67.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 ₱38.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,886 ₱181.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ₱120.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$346 ₱21.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

7.2

76.25%

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

Last update for Kalutara: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kalutara

$234 38.5%

Cebu

$206 22.4% 12.1% $28

Eating Out

Kalutara

$104 17.2%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 15.4% $16

Accommodation & Living

Kalutara

$86 14.1%

Cebu

$309 33.6% 260% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalutara

$84 13.8%

Cebu

$162 17.6% 92.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Kalutara

$70 11.6%

Cebu

$94 10.2% 33.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Kalutara

$18 3%

Cebu

$44 4.8% 142% $26

Getting Around

Kalutara

$11 1.8%

Cebu

$16 1.7% 41% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25.00 in Kalutara vs $24.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $206 per month, with Cebu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kalutara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,600

964,169

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kalutara Cebu 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalutara
Cebu

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

Kalutara vs Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalutara is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and leisure. The 51% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $912 in Kalutara and $1,377 in Cebu to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

All in, you'll spend $608 per month in Kalutara versus $918 in Cebu – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kalutara runs roughly 36% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Kalutara gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kalutara is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kalutara and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kalutara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.