Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Amparai

For one person, living is cheaper in Amparai: $501 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Amparai
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Amparai Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Amparai

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$501

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Amparai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $501 in Amparai.

London $3,986
Amparai $501

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $815 in Amparai.

London $5,791
Amparai $815

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $1,128 in Amparai.

London $7,595
Amparai $1,128

Living in London is roughly 696% more expensive than in Amparai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 195% above, Amparai is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$4.34 LKR 1,437

497.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$24.60 LKR 8,148

332.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.64 LKR 2,532

40.18%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.50 LKR 829

118.80%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.73 LKR 242

306.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.27 LKR 89.6

714.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.23 LKR 737

309.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.12 LKR 1,033

154.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.64 LKR 542

13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.54 LKR 178

283.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.74 LKR 245

227.03%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.57 LKR 521

224.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.64 LKR 4,517

-5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.78 LKR 1,582

118.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.58 LKR 2,512

122.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.65 LKR 2,201

-53.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.79 LKR 262

77.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.61 LKR 1,527

-33.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.22 LKR 405

168.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.02 LKR 339

54.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.80 LKR 265

117.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.93 LKR 308

50.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.46 LKR 153

291.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.32 LKR 3,420

125.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.38 LKR 4,433

-2.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.90 LKR 630

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.93 LKR 972

50.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.40 LKR 133

1295.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.35 LKR 115

860.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.94 LKR 311

5937.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.38 LKR 456

54.35%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.3K LKR 12.4M

2.34%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

1.45%

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

$372 £279

$54.2 LKR 18.0K

586.39%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.14 LKR 1,372

330.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$20.40 LKR 6,756

97.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$1.81 LKR 598

880.11%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$37.41 LKR 12.4K

7556.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,223 LKR 404.9K

2789.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$17.96 LKR 5,948

534.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.50 LKR 5,464

228.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$78.4 LKR 26.0K

58.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$42.66 LKR 14.1K

282.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$90.4 LKR 29.9K

5470.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

12.69

-62.65%

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

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Last update for Amparai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Amparai

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Amparai

$79 15.7% 81.7% $352

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Amparai

$109 21.8% 71.9% $278

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Amparai

$237 47.4% 32.1% $112

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Amparai

$2.1 * 0.4% 99.3% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Amparai

$70 14% 65.9% $135

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Amparai

$3.6 * 0.7% 96.2% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

London pays 5470% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $25.00 in Amparai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $237 per month, with Amparai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Amparai

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

110,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Amparai 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Amparai

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

London vs Amparai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amparai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 696% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 5470% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $37.41 in Amparai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Amparai – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $501 in Amparai versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Amparai but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Amparai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Amparai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in London, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Amparai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 696% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.