Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurunegala and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $498 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kurunegala
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Kurunegala Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$498

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $498 in Kurunegala versus $2,206 in Lisbon.

Kurunegala $498
Lisbon $2,206

Estimated couple costs with rent: $807 in Kurunegala versus $3,276 in Lisbon.

Kurunegala $807
Lisbon $3,276

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,116 in Kurunegala versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Kurunegala $1,116
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Kurunegala 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: Kurunegala is 63% below, Lisbon is 63% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 LKR 610

$16.86 €15.00

-89.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.67 LKR 8,207

$61.0 €54.3

-59.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 LKR 2,484

$10.98 €9.77

-31.97%

Cappuccino

$2.56 LKR 853

$3.05 €2.71

-16.07%

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

$0.67 LKR 223

$2.28 €2.03

-70.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$1.68 €1.50

-83.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 724

$3.44 €3.06

-36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$3.91 €3.48

-23.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$1.15 €1.02

37.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 187

$1.89 €1.68

-70.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.50 €1.34

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$4.12 €3.66

-59.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 LKR 5,181

$13.01 €11.57

19.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 LKR 1,694

$8.04 €7.16

-36.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 LKR 2,588

$17.89 €15.92

-56.51%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 LKR 2,177

$2.27 €2.02

188.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 291

$1.74 €1.55

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,379

$1.82 €1.62

128.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 445

$2.69 €2.39

-50.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 LKR 358

$1.77 €1.57

-38.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.94 €1.72

-57.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LKR 400

$1.46 €1.30

-17.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.76 €0.68

-39.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 LKR 3,367

$6.66 €5.92

51.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,517

$5.64 €5.02

140.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$1.29 €1.15

53.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 LKR 950

$2.14 €1.90

33.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.17

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 125

$3.98 €3.54

-90.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LKR 101

$0.64 €0.57

-53.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 314

$18.93 €16.84

-95.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 LKR 315

$2.28 €2.03

-58.33%

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

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

$33.4K €29.7K

29.24%

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

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

$38.5K €34.3K

16.36%

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

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

$158 €141

-63.28%

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

$4.31 LKR 1,434

$17.54 €15.61

-75.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 LKR 6,969

$31.18 €27.75

-32.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.73

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.89

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,492

$9.58 €8.52

-53.13%

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

$39.43 LKR 13.1K

$674 €599

-94.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K LKR 5.6M

$18.7K €16.7K

-9.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 6,001

$102 €90.9

-82.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.71 LKR 5,890

$45.90 €40.85

-61.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$102 €91.0

-24.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.86 LKR 13.6K

$122 €109

-66.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,460

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,057

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,514

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,796

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,973

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,183

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$152 LKR 50.7K

$1,687 €1,501

-90.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

3.82

227.23%

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

Last update for Kurunegala: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurunegala

$246 49.4%

Lisbon

$275 12.5% 11.7% $29

Eating Out

Kurunegala

$88 17.8%

Lisbon

$245 11.1% 177% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurunegala

$83 16.7%

Lisbon

$207 9.4% 148% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Kurunegala

$69 13.9%

Lisbon

$168 7.6% 141% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 611% $55

Getting Around

Kurunegala

$1.9 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$60 2.7% 3080% $59

Accommodation & Living

Kurunegala

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Kurunegala vs $61 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $246 vs $275 per month, with Kurunegala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

12:09 12:09 PM

06:39 6:39 AM

5 h 30 min behind Kurunegala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,300

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kurunegala Lisbon 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurunegala
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

Kurunegala vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurunegala is about 77% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Kurunegala. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $39 in Kurunegala versus $674 in Lisbon. 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 versus $61 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $498 in Kurunegala versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kurunegala but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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