Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kandy

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.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kandy

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

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

Lisbon $2,210
Kandy $513

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

Lisbon $3,275
Kandy $728

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

Lisbon $4,341
Kandy $943

Living in Lisbon is roughly 331% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$2.66 LKR 885

525.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$13.01 LKR 4,324

374.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$6.00 LKR 1,996

89.33%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$1.90 LKR 632

56.32%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.52 LKR 174

340.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.26 LKR 87.1

569.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$1.86 LKR 620

82.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.80 LKR 931

18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.15 LKR 382

0.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.52 LKR 174

267.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$0.77 LKR 255

96.10%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$1.71 LKR 568

135.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$5.14 LKR 1,708

151.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$4.25 LKR 1,412

82.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$6.87 LKR 2,285

158.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-26.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$0.84 LKR 280

105.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.73 LKR 574

7.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.29 LKR 429

100.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.02 LKR 339

78.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.83 LKR 277

137.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.43 LKR 144

241.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.42 LKR 140

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-17.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$11.28 LKR 3,751

-50.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.93 LKR 643

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$2.08 LKR 691

2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.16 LKR 53.3

1356.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$4.38 LKR 1,457

920.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$0.41 LKR 136

839.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.35 LKR 116

205.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$0.47 LKR 156

3402.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.15 LKR 383

91.30%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

144.65%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

5.39%

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

$161 €145

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

173.21%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$3.86 LKR 1,282

376.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$12.72 LKR 4,227

157.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$10.85 LKR 3,606

310.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$6.80 LKR 2,262

180.88%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$2.74 LKR 909

250.36%

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

$668 €600

$21.65 LKR 7,199

2983.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$304 LKR 101.0K

5699.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$18.28 LKR 6,078

458.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$10.15 LKR 3,375

338.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

45.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$26.56 LKR 8,831

365.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$172 LKR 57.2K

835.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$113 LKR 37.5K

954.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$172 LKR 57.2K

1533.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

2050.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$397 LKR 131.9K

1875.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$400 LKR 133.0K

1043.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$262 LKR 86.9K

502.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-67.92%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kandy

$113 22% 90.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 39.1% $106

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 66.9% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 64.4% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 66.7% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 74.4% $47

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 88.7% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $172 in Kandy. 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

125,000

💱 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 Kandy 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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 Kandy: 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.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $513 in Kandy – 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, Lisbon and Kandy 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.