Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Bandarawela

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandarawela: $496 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
Learn more

Bandarawela Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Bandarawela

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $496 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Bandarawela $496

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $793 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Bandarawela $793

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $1,091 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Bandarawela $1,091

Lisbon costs about 346% more than Bandarawela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Bandarawela is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$1.40 LKR 465

1089.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$24.56 LKR 8,164

151.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$7.77 LKR 2,585

46.20%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.53 LKR 507

94.12%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.63 LKR 208

263.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.27 LKR 90.3

544.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.22 LKR 739

53.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.40 LKR 797

37.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.64 LKR 547

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.34 LKR 114

461.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.62 LKR 205

143.55%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.08 LKR 357

272.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$13.51 LKR 4,492

-4.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$3.70 LKR 1,231

110.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$7.57 LKR 2,516

134.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$6.74 LKR 2,240

-65.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$0.59 LKR 196

193.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$4.51 LKR 1,500

-58.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.28 LKR 426

102.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$0.94 LKR 312

93.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.52 LKR 172

278.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.95 LKR 316

54.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.45 LKR 150

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$9.60 LKR 3,192

-31.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$12.90 LKR 4,289

-56.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.95 LKR 649

-30.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.91 LKR 968

-26.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.14 LKR 46.52

1564.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$1.55 LKR 516

2782.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.38 LKR 126

913.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.29 LKR 95.7

268.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$0.47 LKR 155

3402.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$0.99 LKR 328

122.22%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

-21.43%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-3.83%

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

$161 €145

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

169.01%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$3.29 LKR 1,094

459.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$5.92 LKR 1,968

453.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$6.21 LKR 2,064

617.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$4.51 LKR 1,499

323.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$2.47 LKR 821

288.66%

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

$668 €600

$37.24 LKR 12.4K

1692.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

1363.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$18.29 LKR 6,081

457.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$16.75 LKR 5,568

165.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

25.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

201.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

1651.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$45.15 LKR 15.0K

2535.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$119 LKR 39.7K

2254.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$61.5 LKR 20.5K

3171.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

12.69

-69.66%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bandarawela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Bandarawela

$45 9.1% 96.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Bandarawela

$225 45.3% 17.6% $48

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Bandarawela

$72 14.6% 70.2% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 67.4% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 58.1% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Bandarawela

$11 2.3% 82.5% $53

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Bandarawela

$3.9 0.8% 93.8% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $92 in Bandarawela. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Lisbon versus $25 in Bandarawela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $225 – making Bandarawela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

01:30 1:30 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Bandarawela 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Bandarawela

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

Lisbon vs Bandarawela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $496 in Bandarawela – Bandarawela comes out roughly 78% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $744 in Bandarawela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandarawela, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $37 in Bandarawela. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Lisbon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bandarawela, where all-in costs run around $496, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Bandarawela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bandarawela – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Bandarawela is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 78% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.