Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kurunegala

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.

106

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kurunegala
Learn more

Kurunegala Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kurunegala

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

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

Lisbon $2,206
Kurunegala $498

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

Lisbon $3,276
Kurunegala $807

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

Lisbon $4,346
Kurunegala $1,116

Living in Lisbon is roughly 343% more expensive than in Kurunegala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Kurunegala is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €14.98

$1.83 LKR 610

821.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.2

$24.67 LKR 8,207

147.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.75

$7.47 LKR 2,484

46.99%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.71

$2.56 LKR 853

19.14%

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

$2.28 €2.03

$0.67 LKR 223

240.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.49

$0.27 LKR 89.9

522.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.05

$2.18 LKR 724

57.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.47

$3.00 LKR 997

30.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.58 LKR 526

-27.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.56 LKR 187

237.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.75 LKR 248

100.00%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.66

$1.66 LKR 551

148.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.55

$15.58 LKR 5,181

-16.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$5.09 LKR 1,694

57.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.89

$7.78 LKR 2,588

129.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$6.54 LKR 2,177

-65.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.87 LKR 291

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.15 LKR 1,379

-56.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.34 LKR 445

100.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.08 LKR 358

63.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.72

$0.83 LKR 277

133.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.20 LKR 400

21.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.46 LKR 152

65.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.91

$10.12 LKR 3,367

-34.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$13.58 LKR 4,517

-58.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.98 LKR 657

-34.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.90

$2.86 LKR 950

-25.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.10

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.37 LKR 125

975.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.30 LKR 101

113.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.81

$0.94 LKR 314

1913.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.02

$0.95 LKR 315

140.00%

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

$33.4K €29.6K

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

-22.62%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

-14.06%

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

$158 €141

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

172.37%

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

$17.54 €15.58

$4.31 LKR 1,434

306.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.70

$20.95 LKR 6,969

48.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.66

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.86

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.51

$4.49 LKR 1,492

113.36%

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

$674 €598

$39.43 LKR 13.1K

1608.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$16.9K LKR 5.6M

10.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.8

$18.04 LKR 6,001

466.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.77

$17.71 LKR 5,890

159.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €90.8

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

31.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$40.86 LKR 13.6K

198.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,457

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,055

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,509

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,793

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,960

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,176

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,499

$152 LKR 50.7K

1007.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

12.5

-69.44%

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

Last update for Lisbon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kurunegala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Kurunegala

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Kurunegala

$246 49.4% 10.5% $29

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Kurunegala

$88 17.8% 63.9% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Kurunegala

$83 16.7% 59.7% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Kurunegala

$69 13.9% 58.6% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.8% 85.9% $55

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Kurunegala

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.9% $59

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

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

01:24 1:24 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

30,300

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Kurunegala 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
Kurunegala

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 Kurunegala: 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.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 11 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $674 in Lisbon versus $39 in Kurunegala. 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, Lisbon and Kurunegala 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.