Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Vavuniya

For one person, living is cheaper in Vavuniya: $511 a month against $2,206 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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 Vavuniya
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Vavuniya Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,206

/mo nomad

Vavuniya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Vavuniya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,206 in Lisbon versus $511 in Vavuniya.

Lisbon $2,206
Vavuniya $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,276 in Lisbon versus $805 in Vavuniya.

Lisbon $3,276
Vavuniya $805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,099 in Vavuniya.

Lisbon $4,346
Vavuniya $1,099

Living in Lisbon is roughly 332% more expensive than in Vavuniya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 63% above, Vavuniya is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.86 €15.04

$3.87 LKR 1,285

335.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 €54.5

$14.87 LKR 4,944

310.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 €9.80

$7.54 LKR 2,509

45.62%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$2.53 LKR 841

20.55%

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

$2.28 €2.04

$0.40 LKR 132

470.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.25 LKR 82.5

572.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$2.18 LKR 725

57.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.91 €3.48

$2.97 LKR 987

31.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.64 LKR 546

-29.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.57 LKR 189

231.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.77 LKR 255

94.81%

Eggs

$4.12 €3.67

$1.63 LKR 543

152.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.01 €11.60

$15.50 LKR 5,156

-16.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.18

$5.14 LKR 1,710

56.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$7.39 LKR 2,459

142.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$6.66 LKR 2,214

-65.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.88 LKR 293

97.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-57.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.31 LKR 436

105.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.08 LKR 358

63.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.76 LKR 254

155.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.24 LKR 413

17.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.43 LKR 143

76.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.94

$10.16 LKR 3,377

-34.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$13.31 LKR 4,426

-57.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.93 LKR 643

-33.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.85 LKR 949

-24.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 €2.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.26

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 €3.55

$0.41 LKR 135

870.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 €0.57

$0.31 LKR 103

106.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.93 €16.88

$0.88 LKR 294

2051.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.31 LKR 436

74.05%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

-23.00%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-15.61%

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

$158 €141

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

180.58%

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

$17.54 €15.64

$4.10 LKR 1,364

327.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.18 €27.82

$20.92 LKR 6,956

49.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.64 €39.82

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.98 €16.93

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 €8.54

$4.56 LKR 1,516

110.09%

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

$674 €601

$39.87 LKR 13.3K

1589.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.7K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

6.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.2

$18.42 LKR 6,126

454.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.90 €40.94

$17.75 LKR 5,903

158.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.2

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

31.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €109

$41.50 LKR 13.8K

193.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,641 €1,463

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 €1,059

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 €2,519

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,018 €1,800

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,836 €6,989

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,701 €4,193

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,687 €1,505

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 Vavuniya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Vavuniya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$275 12.5%

Vavuniya

$245 48% 10.7% $29

Eating Out

Lisbon

$245 11.1%

Vavuniya

$103 20.2% 57.9% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$207 9.4%

Vavuniya

$81 15.9% 60.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.6%

Vavuniya

$70 13.7% 58.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Vavuniya

$9.1 * 1.8% 85.7% $55

Getting Around

Lisbon

$60 2.7%

Vavuniya

$2 * 0.4% 96.8% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $61 in Lisbon vs $15 in Vavuniya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $245 per month, with Vavuniya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇱🇰 Vavuniya

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

15:20 3:20 PM

5 h 30 min ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

99,600

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 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 = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Vavuniya 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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Vavuniya

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 Vavuniya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,206 in Lisbon and $511 in Vavuniya, so Vavuniya is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,309 in Lisbon and $766 in Vavuniya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,206 per month in Lisbon versus $511 in Vavuniya – Vavuniya is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $511 in Vavuniya versus $2,206 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Vavuniya but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Vavuniya 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 Vavuniya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.