Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kataragama and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $509 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kataragama and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Kataragama versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Kataragama $509
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $828 in Kataragama versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Kataragama $828
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,146 in Kataragama versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Kataragama $1,146
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Kataragama costs roughly 81% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kataragama is 62% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$20.77 $20.77

-78.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.30 LKR 8,050

$84.6 $84.6

-71.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 LKR 2,564

$12.32 $12.32

-37.18%

Cappuccino

$2.46 LKR 816

$5.63 $5.63

-56.31%

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

$0.72 LKR 238

$3.72 $3.72

-80.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.8

$2.50 $2.50

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 727

$8.05 $8.05

-72.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 993

$9.01 $9.01

-66.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 513

$1.12 $1.12

38.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 188

$3.75 $3.75

-84.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$3.26 $3.26

-75.15%

Eggs

$1.57 LKR 519

$4.17 $4.17

-62.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 LKR 4,654

$12.90 $12.90

8.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 LKR 1,639

$14.16 $14.16

-65.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.47 LKR 2,473

$16.22 $16.22

-53.95%

Apples (1kg)

$6.92 LKR 2,292

$4.33 $4.33

59.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 276

$1.46 $1.46

-43.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,466

$4.51 $4.51

-1.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 LKR 405

$4.34 $4.34

-71.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$2.58 $2.58

-61.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 247

$2.35 $2.35

-68.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$1.78 $1.78

-48.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$2.22 $2.22

-78.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.42 LKR 3,453

$9.88 $9.88

5.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.64 LKR 4,517

$15.08 $15.08

-9.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 628

$2.92 $2.92

-34.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 985

$3.46 $3.46

-14.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$2.73 $2.73

-85.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.66 $1.66

-79.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 291

$35.30 $35.30

-97.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 LKR 447

$0.95 $0.95

42.11%

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

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

$36.0K $36.0K

3.43%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

$27.1K $27.1K

51.77%

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

$53.1 LKR 17.6K

$229 $229

-76.83%

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

$4.29 LKR 1,420

$59.4 $59.4

-92.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.04 LKR 6,970

$69.9 $69.9

-69.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,483

$14.28 $14.28

-68.63%

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

$38.54 LKR 12.8K

$1,506 $1,506

-97.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,225 LKR 405.7K

$21.5K $21.5K

-94.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.51 LKR 6,131

$52.8 $52.8

-64.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.88 LKR 5,591

$43.82 $43.82

-61.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 LKR 25.9K

$84.8 $84.8

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.04 LKR 14.3K

$103 $103

-58.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.79

86.89%

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

Last update for Kataragama: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kataragama

$240 47.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 68.7% $165

Eating Out

Kataragama

$110 21.5%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 223% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kataragama

$78 15.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 357% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Kataragama

$71 13.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 81.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 859% $77

Getting Around

Kataragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 2668% $57

Accommodation & Living

Kataragama

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Kataragama vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $405 per month, with Kataragama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

09:59 9:59 AM

10 h 30 min behind Kataragama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

974,447

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kataragama Austin, TX 15,930 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Kataragama
Austin, TX

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

Kataragama vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kataragama wins on cost – living expenses run 423% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kataragama the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $764 in Kataragama and $3,995 in Austin, TX 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.

Childcare runs $38.54 in Kataragama versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kataragama – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $509 in Kataragama versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kataragama but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kataragama the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Kataragama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 423% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.