Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negombo and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $402 a month against $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
Learn more

Negombo Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
Learn more

Santa Tecla Living Index

Jump to prices

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$402

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Negombo and in Santa Tecla

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Negombo and in Santa Tecla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $402 in Negombo versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla.

Negombo $402
Santa Tecla $1,355

Estimated couple costs with rent: $649 in Negombo versus $2,006 in Santa Tecla.

Negombo $649
Santa Tecla $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $897 in Negombo versus $2,657 in Santa Tecla.

Negombo $897
Santa Tecla $2,657

Living in Negombo costs roughly 70% less than in Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Negombo is 70% below, Santa Tecla is 0% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.48 LKR 1,483

$6.56 $6.56

-31.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.63 LKR 5,508

$44.20 $44.20

-62.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 LKR 2,516

$6.82 $6.82

11.29%

Cappuccino

$1.23 LKR 406

$3.50 $3.50

-64.86%

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

$0.69 LKR 228

$1.15 $1.15

-40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.5

$0.86 $0.86

-70.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 712

$1.98 $1.98

8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 978

$3.63 $3.63

-18.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 521

$1.75 $1.75

-10.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$2.14 $2.14

-75.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 245

$1.43 $1.43

-48.25%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 543

$2.30 $2.30

-28.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.01 LKR 4,642

$7.52 $7.52

86.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 LKR 1,366

$5.55 $5.55

-25.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.00 LKR 1,986

$10.23 $10.23

-41.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 LKR 585

$3.27 $3.27

-45.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.69 LKR 229

$1.37 $1.37

-49.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 LKR 738

$2.64 $2.64

-15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 LKR 395

$3.54 $3.54

-66.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 242

$2.98 $2.98

-75.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$3.35 $3.35

-75.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.96 $0.96

-3.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.98 $0.98

-56.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 LKR 3,359

$3.94 $3.94

157.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 LKR 4,480

$12.06 $12.06

12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 646

$2.20 $2.20

-11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 997

$2.95 $2.95

2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 LKR 94.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$6.16 $6.16

-93.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$3.06 $3.06

-87.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$20.27 $20.27

-95.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.24 $1.24

-19.35%

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

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

$25.4K $25.4K

46.49%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

$27.0K $27.0K

51.42%

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

$25.65 LKR 8,497

$132 $132

-80.55%

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

$4.21 LKR 1,395

$20.92 $20.92

-79.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.85 LKR 6,908

$42.31 $42.31

-50.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.27 LKR 5,059

$24.72 $24.72

-38.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.07 LKR 3,004

Cinema Ticket

$2.45 LKR 813

$5.03 $5.03

-51.29%

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

$37.97 LKR 12.6K

$160 $160

-76.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$446 LKR 147.9K

$4,809 $4,809

-90.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.82 LKR 2,920

$67.0 $67.0

-86.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.87 LKR 5,586

$46.85 $46.85

-63.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.78 LKR 12.2K

$116 $116

-68.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.22 LKR 8,023

$115 $115

-78.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 LKR 59.7K

$406 $406

-55.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

8.5

49.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Negombo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Negombo

$194 48.4%

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2% 33.7% $65

Eating Out

Negombo

$94 23.4%

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4% 49.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negombo

$51 12.6%

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4% 285% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Negombo

$39 9.7%

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5% 298% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Negombo

$20 5%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6% 72.3% $15

Getting Around

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.8%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 533% $18

Accommodation & Living

Negombo

- * 0%

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Santa Tecla pays 125% 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: $17.00 in Negombo vs $44.00 in Santa Tecla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $260 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Negombo

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

03:29 3:29 AM

11 h 30 min behind Negombo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

142,449

138,695

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Negombo Santa Tecla 17,400 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Negombo
Santa Tecla

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

Negombo vs Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 237% lower than in Santa Tecla. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 125% lower in Santa Tecla. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $37.97 in Negombo versus $160 in Santa Tecla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $44.00 in Santa Tecla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $402 in Negombo versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Santa Tecla. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Negombo and Santa Tecla 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 Negombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 237% less than in Santa Tecla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.