Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in London
Learn more

London Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index

Jump to prices

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Anuradhapura

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $509 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

London $3,986
Anuradhapura $509

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $825 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

London $5,791
Anuradhapura $825

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,140 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

London $7,595
Anuradhapura $1,140

London costs about 683% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Anuradhapura is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$4.35 LKR 1,442

496.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$23.76 LKR 7,870

348.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.63 LKR 2,529

40.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.41 LKR 798

126.97%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.72 LKR 237

312.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.25 LKR 82.6

780.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.27 LKR 753

302.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.12 LKR 1,032

154.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.64 LKR 542

13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.53 LKR 175

290.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.80 LKR 263

202.50%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.58 LKR 522

222.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-8.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.79 LKR 1,588

117.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.37 LKR 2,440

128.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.89 LKR 2,283

-54.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.83 LKR 275

68.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.51 LKR 1,495

-31.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.21 LKR 402

170.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.03 LKR 341

53.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.76 LKR 251

128.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.92 LKR 306

52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.47 LKR 155

282.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.30 LKR 3,412

126.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.58 LKR 4,498

-4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.97 LKR 651

60.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.93 LKR 969

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

$0.38 LKR 125

1368.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.34 LKR 114

888.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.95 LKR 314

5873.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.37 LKR 455

55.47%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

4.22%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-1.06%

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

$372 £279

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

582.49%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.33 LKR 1,436

311.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$21.17 LKR 7,013

90.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.31 LKR 1,428

311.60%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

7341.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

2773.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$17.84 LKR 5,910

539.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.82 LKR 5,572

222.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

56.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

281.52%

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

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 Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7% 81.4% $350

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2% 72.1% $279

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1% 31.4% $110

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4% 99.3% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9% 65.5% $134

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7% 91% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $24.00 in Anuradhapura. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $240 – making Anuradhapura the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

01:08 1:08 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

63,200

💱 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 Anuradhapura 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Anuradhapura

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 Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $509 in Anuradhapura – roughly 683% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $764 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London and $24.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $509, than in London at $3,986. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $509 in Anuradhapura to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Anuradhapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.