Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $509 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 Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kataragama

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $509 in Kataragama, rent included.

London $3,986
Kataragama $509

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $828 in Kataragama, rent included.

London $5,791
Kataragama $828

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,146 in Kataragama, rent included.

London $7,595
Kataragama $1,146

London costs about 682% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Kataragama 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

$24.30 LKR 8,050

338.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.74 LKR 2,564

38.37%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.46 LKR 816

122.36%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.72 LKR 238

312.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.27 LKR 89.8

714.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.19 LKR 727

316.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.00 LKR 993

164.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.55 LKR 513

20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.57 LKR 188

263.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.81 LKR 267

198.77%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.57 LKR 519

224.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.05 LKR 4,654

-8.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.95 LKR 1,639

110.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.47 LKR 2,473

125.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.92 LKR 2,292

-55.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.83 LKR 276

68.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.43 LKR 1,466

-30.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.22 LKR 405

168.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.99 LKR 329

59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.75 LKR 247

132.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.92 LKR 306

52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.47 LKR 155

282.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.42 LKR 3,453

123.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.64 LKR 4,517

-4.47%

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

$2.97 LKR 985

48.82%

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

$0.40 LKR 133

1295.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.34 LKR 114

888.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.88 LKR 291

6348.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.35 LKR 447

57.78%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

2.42%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-0.47%

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

$372 £279

$53.1 LKR 17.6K

601.53%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.29 LKR 1,420

315.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$21.04 LKR 6,970

91.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.48 LKR 1,483

295.98%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.54 LKR 12.8K

7332.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,225 LKR 405.7K

2784.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$18.51 LKR 6,131

515.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.88 LKR 5,591

221.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$78.3 LKR 25.9K

58.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$43.04 LKR 14.3K

278.86%

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 Kataragama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Kataragama

$78 15.4% 81.8% $352

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Kataragama

$110 21.5% 71.7% $278

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Kataragama

$240 47.1% 31.4% $110

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Kataragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 99.3% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Kataragama

$71 13.9% 65.6% $134

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 90.6% $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 $24.00 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $240 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

20:36 8:36 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

20,000

💱 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 Kataragama 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

London costs about 682% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $764 in Kataragama. 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 $509 in Kataragama. That's a gap of about 682%.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $38.54 in Kataragama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $509, than in London at $3,986. In Kataragama it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kataragama costs $509 versus $3,986 in London. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kataragama. 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.