Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $42,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Ragama

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

A single person spends $4,049 per month in London vs $503 in Ragama, rent included.

London $4,049
Ragama $503

A couple spends around $5,827 per month in London vs $814 in Ragama, rent included.

London $5,827
Ragama $814

A family of three spends $7,605 per month in London vs $1,125 in Ragama, rent included.

London $7,605
Ragama $1,125

London costs about 705% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Ragama is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$3.73 LKR 1,237

626.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$24.62 LKR 8,154

323.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$7.63 LKR 2,528

42.33%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$2.50 LKR 828

124.00%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$0.72 LKR 239

323.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$0.25 LKR 82.7

812.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$2.15 LKR 711

329.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$2.99 LKR 990

165.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.42 LKR 470

28.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$0.47 LKR 155

336.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$0.68 LKR 226

263.24%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$1.73 LKR 573

195.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$13.87 LKR 4,593

-7.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$4.74 LKR 1,571

128.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$7.33 LKR 2,428

132.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$6.69 LKR 2,217

-54.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$0.81 LKR 268

70.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$4.27 LKR 1,414

-29.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.28 LKR 423

164.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.03 LKR 341

55.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.77 LKR 254

133.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$0.89 LKR 296

58.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$0.45 LKR 149

302.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$10.11 LKR 3,350

136.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$13.09 LKR 4,336

3.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.97 LKR 653

63.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$2.94 LKR 974

49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.37 LKR 123

1408.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$0.35 LKR 115

834.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$0.93 LKR 308

6179.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.38 LKR 459

50.72%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

-12.86%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

1.37%

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

$380 £285

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

538.46%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$4.28 LKR 1,416

335.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$21.08 LKR 6,982

91.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$4.45 LKR 1,474

306.52%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

7628.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

2889.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$18.21 LKR 6,030

539.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$16.89 LKR 5,595

222.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

60.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

297.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

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 19, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Ragama

$85 16.9% 80.7% $354

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Ragama

$103 20.6% 74.2% $297

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Ragama

$233 46.4% 34% $120

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 99.3% $278

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Ragama

$71 14% 66.3% $139

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 90.9% $89

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 $104 in London versus $25.00 in Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $233 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

02:13 2:13 AM

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 20, 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 20, 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 Ragama 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $4,049 in London, $503 in Ragama – roughly 705% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $754 in Ragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,049 in London and $503 in Ragama. That's a gap of about 705%.

Kindergarten costs $2,905 per month in London and $37.59 in Ragama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $503, than in London at $4,049. In Ragama 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 $503 in Ragama to $4,049 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Ragama. 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.