Cost of Living Comparison Between Matara and Jaffna Cost of Living Comparison Between Matara and Jaffna

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Matara is 41.1% more expensive than Jaffna without rent, and 12.2% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Matara is 58.8% more expensive than Jaffna without rent, and 38.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.46 LKRĀ 763
-
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.07 LKRĀ 7,788
-
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.24 LKRĀ 2,562
$5.09 LKRĀ 1,580
61.89%
Cappuccino
$2.68 LKRĀ 832
$3.33 LKRĀ 1,036
-19.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 LKRĀ 224
$0.52 LKRĀ 161
38.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 LKRĀ 127
$0.32 LKRĀ 98.9
28.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.35 LKRĀ 732
$3.27 LKRĀ 1,017
-28.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 LKRĀ 1,033
$6.84 LKRĀ 2,125
-51.46%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 LKRĀ 529
-
-
White Bread (500g)
$0.55 LKRĀ 171
$0.54 LKRĀ 169
1.85%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 LKRĀ 269
$0.72 LKRĀ 223
20.83%
Eggs
$2.19 LKRĀ 681
$1.62 LKRĀ 505
35.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.83 LKRĀ 4,296
$4.88 LKRĀ 1,517
183.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 LKRĀ 1,495
$3.46 LKRĀ 1,075
39.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.90 LKRĀ 2,454
$6.86 LKRĀ 2,130
15.16%
Apples (1kg)
$7.54 LKRĀ 2,342
$3.99 LKRĀ 1,239
88.97%
Banana (1kg)
$0.51 LKRĀ 159
$0.56 LKRĀ 174
-8.93%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.67 LKRĀ 1,761
$3.33 LKRĀ 1,035
70.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.68 LKRĀ 211
$1.70 LKRĀ 528
-60.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 LKRĀ 253
$1.12 LKRĀ 346
-27.68%
Onion (1kg)
$0.52 LKRĀ 163
$0.74 LKRĀ 230
-29.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 LKRĀ 354
$0.65 LKRĀ 202
75.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 LKRĀ 188
$0.43 LKRĀ 135
41.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.02 LKRĀ 3,114
$12.61 LKRĀ 3,918
-20.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.91 LKRĀ 4,011
$19.62 LKRĀ 6,096
-34.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.01 LKRĀ 625
$2.78 LKRĀ 865
-27.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.93 LKRĀ 909
-
-
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.16 LKRĀ 50.2
$0.35 LKRĀ 107
-54.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$3.25 LKRĀ 1,010
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.42 LKRĀ 129
$0.52 LKRĀ 161
-19.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.35 LKRĀ 110
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.61 LKRĀ 189
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 LKRĀ 374
$0.97 LKRĀ 303
23.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K LKRĀ 8.3M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.3K LKRĀ 10.7M
$50.8K LKRĀ 15.8M
-32.55%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$25.93 LKRĀ 8,057
$51.0 LKRĀ 15.9K
-49.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.22 LKRĀ 1,312
$3.39 LKRĀ 1,053
24.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$5.05 LKRĀ 1,568
-
-
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$6.60 LKRĀ 2,049
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.43 LKRĀ 1,066
$1.97 LKRĀ 611
74.11%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$36.66 LKRĀ 11.4K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$437 LKRĀ 135.8K
-
-
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.34 LKRĀ 8,494
$39.61 LKRĀ 12.3K
-30.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.31 LKRĀ 6,001
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.6 LKRĀ 21.6K
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$38.21 LKRĀ 11.9K
-
-
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$165 LKRĀ 51.2K
$171 LKRĀ 53.0K
-3.32%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$116 LKRĀ 36.0K
$150 LKRĀ 46.6K
-22.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$511 LKRĀ 158.8K
$252 LKRĀ 78.2K
102.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$169 LKRĀ 52.5K
$220 LKRĀ 68.5K
-23.40%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Matara
Jaffna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$98.6 LKRĀ 30.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.45
0
-

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Matara: March 1, 2026

Last update for Jaffna: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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