Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Kurunegala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $474 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $42,100 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kurunegala
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Kurunegala Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Kurunegala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,986 in London versus $474 in Kurunegala.

London $3,986
Kurunegala $474

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,791 in London versus $774 in Kurunegala.

London $5,791
Kurunegala $774

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,595 in London versus $1,074 in Kurunegala.

London $7,595
Kurunegala $1,074

Living in London is roughly 741% more expensive than in Kurunegala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 195% above, Kurunegala is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$1.85 LKR 612

1301.62%

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

$4.61 LKR 1,528

132.32%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.39 LKR 792

128.87%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.46 LKR 153

545.65%

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

$2.17 LKR 719

320.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.07 LKR 1,017

158.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.54 LKR 509

20.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.43 LKR 144

381.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.75 LKR 249

222.67%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.58 LKR 522

222.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$14.00 LKR 4,636

-8.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.79 LKR 1,586

117.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.37 LKR 2,440

128.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.90 LKR 2,285

-54.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.80 LKR 263

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.60 LKR 1,525

-33.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.26 LKR 419

159.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.03 LKR 341

53.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.76 LKR 251

128.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.88 LKR 290

59.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.44 LKR 145

309.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.10 LKR 3,345

130.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.78 LKR 4,563

-5.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.88 LKR 621

68.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.07 LKR 1,017

43.97%

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

$0.29 LKR 95.8

1058.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.87 LKR 288

6422.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.05 LKR 349

102.86%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

4.99%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

1.70%

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

$372 £279

$52.9 LKR 17.5K

604.05%

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

$21.07 LKR 6,979

91.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$4.49 LKR 1,488

295.10%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

7429.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,220 LKR 404.1K

2795.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$18.31 LKR 6,064

522.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.66 LKR 5,517

225.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$78.8 LKR 26.1K

57.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$41.96 LKR 13.9K

288.61%

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

$154 LKR 51.1K

3166.53%

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 Kurunegala: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Kurunegala

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Kurunegala

$78 16.5% 81.8% $352

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Kurunegala

$77 16.3% 80.1% $310

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Kurunegala

$238 50.1% 32% $112

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Kurunegala

$1.8 * 0.4% 99.4% $284

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Kurunegala

$70 14.8% 65.8% $135

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.9% 90.6% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

London pays 3167% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $107 in London vs $25.00 in Kurunegala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $349 vs $238 per month, with Kurunegala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

30,300

💱 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 →

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Between locations

London Kurunegala 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Kurunegala

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 Kurunegala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kurunegala is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 741% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3167% higher in London, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $2,864 in London versus $38.04 in Kurunegala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kurunegala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $107 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $474 in Kurunegala versus $3,986 in London, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kurunegala but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Kurunegala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kurunegala 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.

Safety-wise, London and Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 741% less than in London. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.