Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $507 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
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London Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandana
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Kandana Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$507

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kandana

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $507 in Kandana, rent included.

London $3,986
Kandana $507

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $823 in Kandana, rent included.

London $5,791
Kandana $823

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

London $7,595
Kandana $1,140

London costs about 687% more than Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$4.48 LKR 1,485

478.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$24.62 LKR 8,154

332.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.37 LKR 2,440

45.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.40 LKR 794

127.92%

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 90.4

714.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.18 LKR 721

318.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$2.99 LKR 991

165.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.57 LKR 521

18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.52 LKR 174

298.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.78 LKR 259

210.26%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.65 LKR 547

208.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.93 LKR 4,612

-7.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.99 LKR 1,653

109.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.25 LKR 2,401

132.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.73 LKR 2,230

-53.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.80 LKR 267

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.42 LKR 1,464

-30.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.27 LKR 421

157.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.03 LKR 340

53.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.75 LKR 248

132.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.89 LKR 294

57.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.47 LKR 156

282.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.45 LKR 3,461

122.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.81 LKR 4,573

-5.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.96 LKR 650

61.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$2.91 LKR 965

51.89%

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 124

808.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.90 LKR 297

6205.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.34 LKR 444

58.96%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.7K LKR 12.5M

1.38%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

-0.78%

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

$372 £279

$54.9 LKR 18.2K

578.38%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.26 LKR 1,411

318.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$20.50 LKR 6,789

96.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.35 LKR 1,439

307.82%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$37.07 LKR 12.3K

7626.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,230 LKR 407.2K

2773.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$17.89 LKR 5,926

537.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.37 LKR 5,423

231.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

59.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$42.99 LKR 14.2K

279.30%

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 Kandana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Kandana

$80 15.7% 81.5% $351

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Kandana

$108 21.2% 72.2% $280

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Kandana

$239 47.1% 31.7% $111

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Kandana

$2.3 * 0.4% 99.2% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 66% $135

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Kandana

$8.7 * 1.7% 90.9% $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 $25.00 in Kandana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $239 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

15,000

💱 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

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Between locations

London Kandana 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 687%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $760 in Kandana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $507 in Kandana. That's a gap of about 687%.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $37.07 in Kandana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kandana, where all-in costs run around $507, than in London at $3,986. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kandana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Kandana. 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.