Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $38,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $774 in Bentota.

London $3,986
Bentota $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $896 in Bentota.

London $5,791
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $1,018 in Bentota.

London $7,595
Bentota $1,018

Living in London is roughly 415% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 195% above, Bentota is 43% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$4.29 LKR 1,421

504.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$11.97 LKR 3,965

789.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.73 LKR 2,560

38.55%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.46 LKR 815

122.36%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.68 LKR 225

336.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.25 LKR 82.2

780.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.24 LKR 742

307.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.07 LKR 1,016

158.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.62 LKR 535

14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.53 LKR 176

290.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.74 LKR 244

227.03%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.56 LKR 518

226.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.03 LKR 4,648

-8.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$3.32 LKR 1,099

214.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$4.62 LKR 1,529

265.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.81 LKR 2,257

-54.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.73 LKR 241

91.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.59 LKR 1,519

-32.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$0.90 LKR 297

263.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.00 LKR 331

58.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.79 LKR 263

120.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.94 LKR 312

48.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.43 LKR 143

318.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.13 LKR 3,356

129.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.36 LKR 4,424

-2.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.95 LKR 645

62.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.91 LKR 963

51.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.18 LKR 61.0

2161.11%

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

$0.31 LKR 103

983.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.87 LKR 289

6422.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.39 LKR 461

53.24%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.2K LKR 12.3M

2.76%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

1.93%

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

$372 £279

$54.0 LKR 17.9K

588.68%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$2.23 LKR 739

699.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$9.03 LKR 2,990

347.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.28 LKR 1,417

314.49%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.08 LKR 12.6K

7422.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,230 LKR 407.3K

2773.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$17.80 LKR 5,897

540.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.82 LKR 5,573

222.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

54.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$42.09 LKR 13.9K

287.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$541 LKR 179.2K

430.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$298 LKR 98.7K

649.34%

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 Bentota: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Bentota

$298 38.5% 86.7% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Bentota

$65 8.4% 84.8% $365

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Bentota

$108 14% 72.1% $279

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Bentota

$220 28.5% 37% $129

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4% 99.1% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Bentota

$71 9.1% 65.5% $134

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Bentota

$8.6 * 1.1% 91% $87

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 $541 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $12.00 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $220 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

37,000

💱 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 Bentota 8,770 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 415% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,979 in London and $1,160 in Bentota 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,869 in London versus $541 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in London. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $3,986 per month in London versus $774 in Bentota – a 415% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Bentota versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bentota 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 Bentota gentler on the wallet – expenses run 415% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.