Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $487 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $42,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,049
/mo nomad
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$487
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, rent included.

  • London $4,049
  • Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $790 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, rent included.

  • London $5,827
  • Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $1,093 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, rent included.

  • London $7,605
  • Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093

London costs about 731% more than Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$27.09 £20.33
$1.49 LKR 494
1718.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$104 £78.3
$25.02 LKR 8,286
317.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.86 £8.15
$7.49 LKR 2,481
44.99%
Cappuccino
$5.60 £4.20
$2.54 LKR 840
120.47%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05 £2.29
$0.73 LKR 240
317.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 £1.71
$0.27 LKR 90.3
744.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.23 £6.92
$2.22 LKR 736
315.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.95 £5.96
$3.00 LKR 993
165.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.83 £1.37
$1.62 LKR 537
12.96%
White Bread (500g)
$2.05 £1.54
$0.53 LKR 174
286.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.47 £1.86
$0.81 LKR 267
204.94%
Eggs
$5.12 £3.84
$1.65 LKR 546
210.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.89 £9.67
$13.93 LKR 4,614
-7.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.84 £8.14
$4.85 LKR 1,606
123.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.03 £12.78
$7.54 LKR 2,496
125.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 £2.30
$6.42 LKR 2,125
-52.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$0.87 LKR 288
58.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.99 £2.24
$4.37 LKR 1,448
-31.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.39 £2.54
$1.29 LKR 426
162.79%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.00 LKR 332
60.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 £1.35
$0.78 LKR 259
130.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.41 £1.06
$0.88 LKR 291
60.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 £1.36
$0.45 LKR 149
302.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.92 £17.94
$10.38 LKR 3,439
130.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.54 £10.16
$13.03 LKR 4,317
3.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.23 £2.42
$1.89 LKR 626
70.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.39 £3.29
$3.00 LKR 994
46.33%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.92 £2.94
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$243 £182
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.58 £4.18
$0.38 LKR 125
1368.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.27 £2.46
$0.35 LKR 115
834.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$58.4 £43.81
$0.90 LKR 297
6388.89%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 £1.56
$1.38 LKR 457
50.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K £29.1K
$43.0K LKR 14.2M
-9.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.5K
$40.5K LKR 13.4M
0.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$380 £285
$58.3 LKR 19.3K
551.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.62 £13.97
$4.28 LKR 1,418
335.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.45 £30.35
$20.80 LKR 6,888
94.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.3 £45.95
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.41 £16.07
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$18.09 £13.57
$4.59 LKR 1,519
294.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,905 £2,180
$38.36 LKR 12.7K
7473.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$35.5K £26.6K
$1,206 LKR 399.5K
2843.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £87.3
$18.46 LKR 6,116
530.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.5 £40.89
$16.53 LKR 5,474
229.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.8
$78.6 LKR 26.0K
62.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$167 £125
$42.38 LKR 14.0K
293.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,852 £2,140
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,269 £1,702
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,939
$460 LKR 152.2K
1042.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,752 £2,815
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$18.5K £13.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,100 £6,077
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,109 £3,833
$215 LKR 71.4K
2271.61%
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 19, 2026

Last update for Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
- * 100%
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$439
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
$83 81% $356
Eating Out
London
$400
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
$86 78.5% $314
Groceries & Markets
London
$353
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
$236 33.2% $117
Getting Around
London
$280
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
$2.1 * 99.2% $278
Clothing & Footwear
London
$209
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
$70 66.5% $139
Sport & Entertainment
London
$97
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
$9.2 * 90.6% $88

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 2272% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London versus $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $236 – making Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
🕒 Local time
18:08 6:08 PM
22:38 10:38 PM
4 h 30 min ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
219,827
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, London or Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
London costs about 731% more than Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in London and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $730 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in London and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in London and $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in London or in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
Groceries cost about 50% more in London, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in London or in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, where all-in costs run around $487, than in London at $4,049. In Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, London or Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia costs $487 versus $4,049 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is London compared to Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to London or to Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia?
If budget matters most, go with Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. 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.

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