Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $543 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,300 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$543

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $543 in Badulla.

London $3,986
Badulla $543

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $877 in Badulla.

London $5,791
Badulla $877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $1,211 in Badulla.

London $7,595
Badulla $1,211

Living in London is roughly 634% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 195% above, Badulla is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$3.88 LKR 1,287

568.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$25.05 LKR 8,298

325.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.37 LKR 2,442

45.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.55 LKR 844

114.51%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.71 LKR 236

318.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.27 LKR 89.5

714.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.22 LKR 735

311.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.07 LKR 1,015

158.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.55 LKR 514

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.53 LKR 174

290.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.60 LKR 199

303.33%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.66 LKR 551

206.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.97 LKR 4,627

-7.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$3.56 LKR 1,178

192.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.62 LKR 2,522

121.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.65 LKR 2,202

-53.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.87 LKR 288

60.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.35 LKR 1,440

-29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.33 LKR 439

145.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.99 LKR 329

59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.77 LKR 255

125.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.87 LKR 287

60.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.45 LKR 151

300.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.13 LKR 3,354

129.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$12.74 LKR 4,221

2.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.90 LKR 628

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.93 LKR 971

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

$0.37 LKR 123

808.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.88 LKR 293

6348.86%

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

$36.5K LKR 12.1M

4.57%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.7K LKR 13.5M

0.44%

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

$372 £279

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

543.32%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.31 LKR 1,429

313.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$21.13 LKR 6,998

91.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.49 LKR 1,488

295.10%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.34 LKR 12.7K

7371.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,205 LKR 399.2K

2831.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$18.44 LKR 6,108

518.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.32 LKR 5,405

232.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$80.2 LKR 26.6K

54.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$41.30 LKR 13.7K

294.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$76.1 LKR 25.2K

3671.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$44.45 LKR 14.7K

4923.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$89.9 LKR 29.8K

4105.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

$4,542 LKR 1.5M

303.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

$742 LKR 245.8K

981.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

$224 LKR 74.3K

2144.20%

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 Badulla: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Badulla

$44 8.2% 98% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Badulla

$83 15.3% 80.6% $347

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Badulla

$105 19.3% 72.9% $283

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Badulla

$229 42.2% 34.4% $120

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Badulla

$2.2 * 0.4% 99.2% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Badulla

$70 12.9% 65.7% $135

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Badulla

$9 * 1.7% 90.6% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,869 in London and $76.1 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

London pays 2144% 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 Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $229 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

17:48 5:48 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 Badulla 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Badulla

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 Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 634% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2144% higher in London, 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: $2,869 in London versus $76.1 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $38.34 in Badulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – 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 $543 in Badulla versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Badulla 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.

Safety-wise, London and Badulla 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 Badulla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 634% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.