Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polonnaruwa and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Polonnaruwa and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $506 in Polonnaruwa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Polonnaruwa $506
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $821 in Polonnaruwa versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Polonnaruwa $821
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,136 in Polonnaruwa versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Polonnaruwa $1,136
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Polonnaruwa costs roughly 81% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Polonnaruwa is 63% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 LKR 1,472

$20.77 $20.77

-78.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.02 LKR 7,957

$84.6 $84.6

-71.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,495

$12.32 $12.32

-38.88%

Cappuccino

$2.39 LKR 792

$5.63 $5.63

-57.55%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$3.72 $3.72

-81.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$2.50 $2.50

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 718

$8.05 $8.05

-73.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,026

$9.01 $9.01

-65.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 516

$1.12 $1.12

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$3.75 $3.75

-84.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 250

$3.26 $3.26

-76.69%

Eggs

$1.59 LKR 526

$4.17 $4.17

-61.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,505

$12.90 $12.90

5.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 LKR 1,618

$14.16 $14.16

-65.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 LKR 2,527

$16.22 $16.22

-52.96%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 LKR 2,213

$4.33 $4.33

54.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 260

$1.46 $1.46

-45.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.58 LKR 1,517

$4.51 $4.51

1.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$4.34 $4.34

-72.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 343

$2.58 $2.58

-59.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$2.35 $2.35

-65.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.78 $1.78

-51.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 143

$2.22 $2.22

-80.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 LKR 3,447

$9.88 $9.88

5.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 LKR 4,515

$15.08 $15.08

-9.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$2.92 $2.92

-32.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,014

$3.46 $3.46

-11.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$2.73 $2.73

-85.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$1.66 $1.66

-77.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$35.30 $35.30

-97.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$0.95 $0.95

44.21%

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

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

$36.0K $36.0K

0.77%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

$27.1K $27.1K

51.86%

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

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

$229 $229

-76.48%

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

$4.26 LKR 1,412

$59.4 $59.4

-92.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 LKR 6,770

$69.9 $69.9

-70.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$14.28 $14.28

-68.63%

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

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

$1,506 $1,506

-97.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

$21.5K $21.5K

-94.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.97 LKR 5,953

$52.8 $52.8

-65.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.63 LKR 5,508

$43.82 $43.82

-62.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$84.8 $84.8

-5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$103 $103

-59.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.79

86.89%

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

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 70% $167

Eating Out

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 229% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 356% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 81.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 856% $77

Getting Around

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 2497% $56

Accommodation & Living

Polonnaruwa

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $24.00 in Polonnaruwa vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $405 per month, with Polonnaruwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

03:25 3:25 AM

10 h 30 min behind Polonnaruwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

974,447

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Polonnaruwa Austin, TX 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Polonnaruwa
Austin, TX

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

Polonnaruwa vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polonnaruwa wins on cost – living expenses run 427% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Polonnaruwa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $759 in Polonnaruwa and $3,995 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $38.00 in Polonnaruwa versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Polonnaruwa – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $506 in Polonnaruwa versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polonnaruwa but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Polonnaruwa 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, Polonnaruwa and Austin, TX 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 Polonnaruwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 427% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.