Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kandy and in Lisbon

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $513 in Kandy versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Kandy $513
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Kandy versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Kandy $728
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $943 in Kandy versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Kandy $943
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Kandy costs roughly 77% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kandy is 62% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$16.65 €14.96

-84.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,322

$61.7 €55.5

-78.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,995

$11.36 €10.20

-47.18%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$2.97 €2.67

-36.03%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$2.29 €2.06

-77.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.0

$1.74 €1.56

-85.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 619

$3.40 €3.06

-45.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$3.31 €2.97

-15.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$1.16 €1.04

-0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.91 €1.72

-72.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 254

$1.51 €1.36

-49.01%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$4.02 €3.61

-57.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,707

$12.94 €11.62

-60.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$7.77 €6.99

-45.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,284

$17.76 €15.96

-61.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$2.30 €2.07

36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$1.73 €1.56

-51.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$1.86 €1.67

-6.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$2.59 €2.33

-50.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 338

$1.82 €1.64

-43.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.97 €1.77

-57.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$1.47 €1.32

-70.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.72 €0.65

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,667

$6.58 €5.92

21.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,750

$5.61 €5.04

101.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.36 €1.22

41.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.14 €1.92

-2.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$2.33 €2.10

-93.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,456

$44.68 €40.14

-90.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$3.85 €3.46

-89.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.07 €0.96

-67.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

$16.46 €14.79

-97.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$2.20 €1.98

-47.73%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

$34.2K €30.7K

-59.13%

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

$38.7K €34.8K

-5.11%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$161 €145

-63.40%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$18.41 €16.54

-79.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,226

$32.74 €29.41

-61.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,605

$44.55 €40.03

-75.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,261

$19.10 €17.16

-64.40%

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$9.60 €8.62

-71.46%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,197

$668 €600

-96.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 100.9K

$17.6K €15.8K

-98.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,076

$102 €91.7

-82.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,374

$44.46 €39.95

-77.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

$98.5 €88.5

-31.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,829

$124 €111

-78.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.1K

$1,608 €1,445

-89.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$1,190 €1,069

-90.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$2,812 €2,527

-93.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$2,013 €1,809

-95.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

$7,839 €7,043

-94.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

$4,576 €4,111

-91.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$1,575 €1,415

-83.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

211.69%

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

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 64.2% $106

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 954% $1.1K

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Lisbon

$243 11% 203% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 181% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 201% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 291% $47

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 782% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $172 in Kandy and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Kandy vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $272 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

5 h 30 min behind Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kandy Lisbon 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 331% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% 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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $513 per month in Kandy versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 331% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 90% less than in Lisbon. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $513 in Kandy versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandy but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kandy the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Kandy and Lisbon 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 Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.