Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $40,900 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Wattala

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

A single person spends $3,986 per month in London vs $574 in Wattala, rent included.

London $3,986
Wattala $574

A couple spends around $5,791 per month in London vs $954 in Wattala, rent included.

London $5,791
Wattala $954

A family of three spends $7,595 per month in London vs $1,334 in Wattala, rent included.

London $7,595
Wattala $1,334

London costs about 595% more than Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 195% above the global median, while Wattala is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.93 £19.45

$3.74 LKR 1,239

593.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$107 £79.9

$24.78 LKR 8,206

329.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.71 £8.03

$7.48 LKR 2,479

43.18%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.45 LKR 811

123.27%

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

$2.97 £2.23

$0.69 LKR 227

330.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 £1.65

$0.25 LKR 82.5

780.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.13 £6.85

$2.24 LKR 741

307.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 £5.96

$2.97 LKR 985

167.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.57 LKR 519

18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 £1.55

$0.57 LKR 190

263.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 £1.81

$0.75 LKR 250

222.67%

Eggs

$5.09 £3.82

$1.63 LKR 541

212.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 £9.66

$13.60 LKR 4,504

-5.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.43 £7.82

$4.79 LKR 1,588

117.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 £12.66

$7.41 LKR 2,454

127.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 £2.33

$6.46 LKR 2,140

-51.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.85 LKR 283

64.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$4.45 LKR 1,474

-30.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.28 LKR 423

155.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.99 LKR 329

59.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.31

$0.82 LKR 273

112.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 £1.05

$0.89 LKR 295

57.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 £1.35

$0.46 LKR 152

291.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.28 £17.46

$10.42 LKR 3,450

123.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 £9.77

$12.64 LKR 4,188

3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.17 £2.38

$1.92 LKR 636

65.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 £3.32

$3.05 LKR 1,010

44.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.20 LKR 66.2

1935.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.37 LKR 123

1408.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.36 £2.52

$0.34 LKR 114

888.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.8 £42.58

$0.94 LKR 310

5937.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 £1.60

$1.19 LKR 395

78.99%

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

$38.2K £28.6K

$37.1K LKR 12.3M

2.94%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-0.35%

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

$372 £279

$58.6 LKR 19.4K

535.19%

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

$17.82 £13.37

$4.23 LKR 1,401

321.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 £30.29

$20.46 LKR 6,775

97.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

$13.64 LKR 4,518

339.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

$4.56 LKR 1,510

366.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.74 £13.31

$2.99 LKR 990

493.31%

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

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

2786.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.5

$18.13 LKR 6,006

528.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 £40.71

$16.81 LKR 5,566

222.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 £93.2

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

55.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 £122

$42.41 LKR 14.0K

284.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

$105 LKR 34.9K

2619.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

$60.6 LKR 20.1K

3586.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

$242 LKR 80.0K

2080.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

$180 LKR 59.6K

1998.37%

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 Wattala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.2K 56%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 97.3% $2.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$430 10.8%

Wattala

$83 14.5% 80.7% $347

Eating Out

London

$388 9.7%

Wattala

$103 17.9% 73.5% $285

Groceries & Markets

London

$349 8.8%

Wattala

$234 40.8% 33% $115

Getting Around

London

$285 7.2%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 99% $283

Clothing & Footwear

London

$205 5.1%

Wattala

$71 12.3% 65.5% $134

Sport & Entertainment

London

$95 2.4%

Wattala

$20 3.4% 79.4% $76

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,869 in London versus $105 in Wattala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $107 in London versus $25.00 in Wattala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $234 – making Wattala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

30,200

💱 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 Wattala 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,986 in London, $574 in Wattala – roughly 595% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,979 per month in London and $861 in Wattala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wattala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,986 in London and $574 in Wattala. That's a gap of about 595%.

Kindergarten costs $2,864 per month in London and $38.04 in Wattala. 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 Wattala, where all-in costs run around $574, than in London at $3,986. In Wattala 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 $574 in Wattala 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 Wattala. 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.