Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,800 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 Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Polonnaruwa

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $506 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

London $3,986
Polonnaruwa $506

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $821 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

London $5,791
Polonnaruwa $821

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,136 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

London $7,595
Polonnaruwa $1,136

London costs about 688% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Polonnaruwa is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$4.44 LKR 1,472

484.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$24.02 LKR 7,957

343.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.53 LKR 2,495

42.23%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.39 LKR 792

128.87%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.68 LKR 226

336.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.25 LKR 82.6

780.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.17 LKR 718

320.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$3.10 LKR 1,026

156.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.56 LKR 516

19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.57 LKR 190

263.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.76 LKR 250

218.42%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.59 LKR 526

220.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.60 LKR 4,505

-5.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.88 LKR 1,618

113.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.63 LKR 2,527

121.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-53.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.79 LKR 260

77.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.58 LKR 1,517

-32.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.21 LKR 402

170.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.04 LKR 343

51.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.82 LKR 271

112.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.87 LKR 288

60.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.43 LKR 143

318.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.41 LKR 3,447

123.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$13.63 LKR 4,515

-4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.98 LKR 657

60.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.06 LKR 1,014

44.44%

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

$0.37 LKR 123

808.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.87 LKR 288

6422.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.37 LKR 455

55.47%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

5.12%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-0.52%

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

$372 £279

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

590.98%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.26 LKR 1,412

318.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$20.44 LKR 6,770

97.50%

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 1,485

295.98%

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

$2,864 £2,149

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

7437.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.3K £26.5K

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

2864.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$17.97 LKR 5,953

534.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.63 LKR 5,508

226.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

55.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

287.04%

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 Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5% 81.7% $352

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3% 72.2% $280

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1% 31.9% $111

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5% 99.2% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9% 65.6% $135

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8% 90.6% $86

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 Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $238 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

17:55 5:55 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

London Polonnaruwa 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $506 in Polonnaruwa – roughly 688% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $759 in Polonnaruwa. 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa. That's a gap of about 688%.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $38.00 in Polonnaruwa. 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 Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $506, than in London at $3,986. In Polonnaruwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Polonnaruwa to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Polonnaruwa. 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.