Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polonnaruwa and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $41,800 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
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Polonnaruwa and in London

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $506
London $3,986

A couple spends around $821 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $821
London $5,791

A family of three spends $1,136 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $1,136
London $7,595

Polonnaruwa is about 87% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Polonnaruwa sits 63% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 LKR 1,472

$25.93 £19.45

-82.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.02 LKR 7,957

$107 £79.9

-77.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,495

$10.71 £8.03

-29.69%

Cappuccino

$2.39 LKR 792

$5.47 £4.11

-56.31%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$2.97 £2.23

-77.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$2.20 £1.65

-88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 718

$9.13 £6.85

-76.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,026

$7.94 £5.96

-60.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 516

$1.86 £1.40

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$2.07 £1.55

-72.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 250

$2.42 £1.81

-68.60%

Eggs

$1.59 LKR 526

$5.09 £3.82

-68.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,505

$12.87 £9.66

5.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 LKR 1,618

$10.43 £7.82

-53.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 LKR 2,527

$16.87 £12.66

-54.77%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 LKR 2,213

$3.11 £2.33

114.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 260

$1.40 £1.05

-43.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.58 LKR 1,517

$3.08 £2.31

48.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$3.27 £2.45

-63.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 343

$1.58 £1.19

-34.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$1.74 £1.31

-52.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.40 £1.05

-37.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 143

$1.80 £1.35

-76.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 LKR 3,447

$23.28 £17.46

-55.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 LKR 4,515

$13.03 £9.77

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$3.17 £2.38

-37.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,014

$4.42 £3.32

-30.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$5.58 £4.18

-92.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$3.36 £2.52

-88.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$56.8 £42.58

-98.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$2.13 £1.60

-35.68%

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

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

$38.2K £28.6K

-4.88%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

$40.9K £30.7K

0.53%

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

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

$372 £279

-85.53%

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

$4.26 LKR 1,412

$17.82 £13.37

-76.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 LKR 6,770

$40.37 £30.29

-49.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.0 £44.99

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 £15.97

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$17.74 £13.31

-74.75%

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

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

$2,864 £2,149

-98.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

$35.3K £26.5K

-96.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.97 LKR 5,953

$114 £85.5

-84.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.63 LKR 5,508

$54.3 £40.71

-69.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$124 £93.2

-35.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$163 £122

-74.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,869 £2,152

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,233 £1,675

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,266 £3,951

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,778 £2,835

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 %)

12.69

4.74

167.72%

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

Last update for Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1%

London

$349 8.8% 46.8% $111

Eating Out

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3%

London

$388 9.7% 260% $280

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5%

London

$430 10.8% 448% $352

Clothing & Footwear

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9%

London

$205 5.1% 191% $135

Sport & Entertainment

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8%

London

$95 2.4% 964% $86

Getting Around

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5%

London

$285 7.2% 12530% $283

Accommodation & Living

Polonnaruwa

- * 0%

London

$2.2K 56%

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 $24.00 in Polonnaruwa versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $349 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

09:25 9:25 AM

4 h 30 min behind Polonnaruwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Polonnaruwa London 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Polonnaruwa
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $506 in Polonnaruwa, $3,986 in London – roughly 688% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Polonnaruwa and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $506 in Polonnaruwa and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 688%.

Kindergarten costs $38.00 per month in Polonnaruwa and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $506, than in London at $3,986. In Polonnaruwa 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa. 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.