Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Da Lat

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $612 in Da Lat, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Da Lat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Da Lat

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kandy and in Da Lat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $513 in Kandy versus $612 in Da Lat.

Kandy $513
Da Lat $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Kandy versus $917 in Da Lat.

Kandy $728
Da Lat $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $943 in Kandy versus $1,221 in Da Lat.

Kandy $943
Da Lat $1,221

Living in Kandy costs roughly 16% less than in Da Lat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kandy 62% lower, Da Lat 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$2.24 ₫57.9K

18.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,324

$15.77 ₫407.3K

-17.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,996

$5.17 ₫133.5K

16.05%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$1.66 ₫43.0K

14.46%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.58 ₫15.1K

-10.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.1

$0.31 ₫7,967

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 620

$0.87 ₫22.4K

113.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$1.56 ₫40.4K

79.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$1.58 ₫40.9K

-27.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-58.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.21 ₫31.3K

-36.36%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.64 ₫42.4K

4.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,708

$7.52 ₫194.3K

-31.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$4.07 ₫105.1K

4.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,285

$4.47 ₫115.4K

53.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$4.14 ₫106.9K

-24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$1.81 ₫46.8K

-53.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$3.23 ₫83.3K

-46.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$1.61 ₫41.5K

-19.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.75 ₫45.1K

-41.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.56 ₫40.2K

-46.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.70 ₫18.2K

-38.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.52 ₫13.5K

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,668

$1.69 ₫43.7K

374.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,751

$8.12 ₫209.8K

38.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$0.48 ₫12.5K

302.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.15 ₫55.6K

-3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$0.34 ₫8,776

-52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,457

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.57 ₫14.7K

-28.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.08 ₫27.9K

-67.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$0.84 ₫21.6K

36.90%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$39.51 ₫1.0M

49.35%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$4.41 ₫113.9K

-12.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,227

$14.89 ₫384.6K

-14.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,606

$12.83 ₫331.4K

-15.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,262

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$1.89 ₫48.8K

44.97%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,199

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 101.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,078

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,831

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$289 ₫7.5M

-40.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$276 ₫7.1M

-59.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$645 ₫16.6M

-73.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$464 ₫12.0M

-79.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$422 ₫10.9M

-38.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Last update for Da Lat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Da Lat

–

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Da Lat

–

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Da Lat

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Da Lat

–

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Da Lat

–

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Da Lat

–

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Da Lat

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $172 in Kandy and $289 in Da Lat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Da Lat pays 61% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Kandy vs $16 in Da Lat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $189 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇻🇳 Da Lat

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

23:45 11:45 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

258,014

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kandy Da Lat 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
Da Lat

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

Kandy vs Da Lat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy and Da Lat differ by about 19% in total monthly costs ($513 vs $612 including rent). Kandy is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Kandy. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $172 in Kandy versus $289 in Da Lat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kandy – a meal for two runs $13 versus $16 in Da Lat. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $513 per month in Kandy versus $612 in Da Lat – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kandy gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

It comes down to priorities – Kandy wins on affordability, Da Lat on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.