Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurunegala and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $474 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kurunegala
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Kurunegala Living Index
130

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

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Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$474

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $474 in Kurunegala versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Kurunegala $474
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $774 in Kurunegala versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Kurunegala $774
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,074 in Kurunegala versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Kurunegala $1,074
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Kurunegala costs roughly 82% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kurunegala is 65% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.85 LKR 612

$20.77 $20.77

-91.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 LKR 8,154

$84.6 $84.6

-70.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.61 LKR 1,528

$12.32 $12.32

-62.58%

Cappuccino

$2.39 LKR 792

$5.63 $5.63

-57.55%

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

$0.46 LKR 153

$3.72 $3.72

-87.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.4

$2.50 $2.50

-89.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 719

$8.05 $8.05

-73.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,017

$9.01 $9.01

-65.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 LKR 509

$1.12 $1.12

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 LKR 144

$3.75 $3.75

-88.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 249

$3.26 $3.26

-76.99%

Eggs

$1.58 LKR 522

$4.17 $4.17

-62.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.00 LKR 4,636

$12.90 $12.90

8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,586

$14.16 $14.16

-66.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$16.22 $16.22

-54.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.90 LKR 2,285

$4.33 $4.33

59.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 263

$1.46 $1.46

-45.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.60 LKR 1,525

$4.51 $4.51

2.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 419

$4.34 $4.34

-70.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$2.58 $2.58

-60.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 251

$2.35 $2.35

-67.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 290

$1.78 $1.78

-50.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 145

$2.22 $2.22

-80.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 LKR 3,345

$9.88 $9.88

2.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 LKR 4,563

$15.08 $15.08

-8.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 LKR 621

$2.92 $2.92

-35.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,017

$3.46 $3.46

-11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$2.73 $2.73

-86.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 LKR 95.8

$1.66 $1.66

-82.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$35.30 $35.30

-97.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LKR 349

$0.95 $0.95

10.53%

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

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

$36.0K $36.0K

0.90%

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

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

$27.1K $27.1K

48.54%

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

$52.9 LKR 17.5K

$229 $229

-76.92%

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

$4.29 LKR 1,420

$59.4 $59.4

-92.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.07 LKR 6,979

$69.9 $69.9

-69.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,488

$14.28 $14.28

-68.56%

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

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

$1,506 $1,506

-97.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,220 LKR 404.1K

$21.5K $21.5K

-94.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.31 LKR 6,064

$52.8 $52.8

-65.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.66 LKR 5,517

$43.82 $43.82

-61.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 LKR 26.1K

$84.8 $84.8

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.96 LKR 13.9K

$103 $103

-59.27%

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)

$154 LKR 51.1K

$5,121 $5,121

-96.99%

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 Kurunegala: 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

Kurunegala

$238 50.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 70.4% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurunegala

$78 16.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 358% $280

Eating Out

Kurunegala

$77 16.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 358% $277

Clothing & Footwear

Kurunegala

$70 14.8%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 82.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.9%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 855% $77

Getting Around

Kurunegala

$1.8 * 0.4%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 3125% $57

Accommodation & Living

Kurunegala

- * 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

Austin, TX pays 3221% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Kurunegala vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $405 per month, with Kurunegala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

11:00 11:00 AM

10 h 30 min behind Kurunegala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,300

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kurunegala Austin, TX 15,810 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurunegala
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

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

Kurunegala wins on cost – living expenses run 462% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kurunegala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3221% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $38.04 in Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $474 in Kurunegala versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kurunegala but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kurunegala 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.

Safety-wise, Kurunegala and Austin, TX 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 Kurunegala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 462% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.