Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kalutara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $608 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $40,500 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
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Kalutara Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kalutara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $608 in Kalutara.

London $3,986
Kalutara $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $888 in Kalutara.

London $5,791
Kalutara $888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $1,169 in Kalutara.

London $7,595
Kalutara $1,169

Living in London is roughly 556% more expensive than in Kalutara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 195% above, Kalutara is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$3.90 LKR 1,292

564.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$25.14 LKR 8,326

323.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.49 LKR 2,481

42.99%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.48 LKR 821

120.56%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.73 LKR 241

306.85%

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

$2.15 LKR 713

324.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.06 LKR 1,014

159.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.64 LKR 543

13.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.53 LKR 176

290.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.75 LKR 249

222.67%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.71 LKR 568

197.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.49 LKR 4,469

-4.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.91 LKR 1,625

112.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.42 LKR 2,457

127.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.49 LKR 2,149

-52.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.81 LKR 268

72.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.27 LKR 1,413

-27.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.26 LKR 418

159.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.99 LKR 328

59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.81 LKR 269

114.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.87 LKR 289

60.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.43 LKR 142

318.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.32 LKR 3,418

125.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.02 LKR 4,312

0.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.90 LKR 629

66.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.02 LKR 999

46.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.12 LKR 39.13

3291.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

$9.29 LKR 3,077

2556.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.38 LKR 125

1368.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.18 LKR 59.8

1766.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.93 LKR 307

6002.15%

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

2.24%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

0.07%

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

$372 £279

$58.9 LKR 19.5K

532.07%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.27 LKR 1,413

317.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$20.99 LKR 6,953

92.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$8.89 LKR 2,944

574.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.56 LKR 1,511

289.04%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.39 LKR 12.7K

7361.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,205 LKR 399.0K

2832.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$18.10 LKR 5,995

529.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.86 LKR 5,584

221.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$79.7 LKR 26.4K

55.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$41.88 LKR 13.9K

289.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$85.7 LKR 28.4K

2505.33%

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 Kalutara: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Kalutara

$86 14.1% 96.2% $2.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Kalutara

$84 13.8% 80.4% $346

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Kalutara

$104 17.2% 73.1% $283

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Kalutara

$234 38.5% 33% $115

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Kalutara

$11 1.8% 96.1% $274

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Kalutara

$70 11.6% 65.6% $135

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Kalutara

$18 3% 81.1% $77

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $107 in London vs $25.00 in Kalutara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $234 per month, with Kalutara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

39,600

💱 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 Kalutara 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Kalutara

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 Kalutara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalutara wins on cost – living expenses run 556% lower than in London. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kalutara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $5,979 in London and $912 in Kalutara 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.

A monthly transit pass in Kalutara runs roughly 2556% less than in London. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $38.39 in Kalutara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $608 in Kalutara versus $3,986 in London, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kalutara but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Kalutara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kalutara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kalutara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, London and Kalutara 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 Kalutara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 556% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.