Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ragama and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $502 in Ragama, rent and utilities included – about $300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
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Ragama Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index

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Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ragama and in Ratnapura

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $502 in Ragama versus $477 in Ratnapura.

Ragama $502
Ratnapura $477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $816 in Ragama versus $765 in Ratnapura.

Ragama $816
Ratnapura $765

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,129 in Ragama versus $1,054 in Ratnapura.

Ragama $1,129
Ratnapura $1,054

Living in Ragama is roughly 5% more expensive than in Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ragama 63% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,294

$1.95 LKR 647

99.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.24 LKR 8,390

$9.22 LKR 3,066

173.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 LKR 2,467

$6.06 LKR 2,014

22.44%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 815

$2.08 LKR 691

17.79%

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

$0.73 LKR 243

$0.73 LKR 244

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$0.44 LKR 146

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 750

$1.93 LKR 642

17.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 1,000

$2.77 LKR 921

8.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 LKR 474

$1.84 LKR 612

-22.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 LKR 165

$0.79 LKR 263

-36.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 227

$0.66 LKR 219

3.03%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$1.07 LKR 357

55.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 LKR 4,660

$14.73 LKR 4,898

-4.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 LKR 1,603

$6.39 LKR 2,125

-24.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 LKR 2,460

$15.60 LKR 5,186

-52.56%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 LKR 2,180

$4.26 LKR 1,417

53.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.75 LKR 248

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 LKR 1,435

$4.14 LKR 1,378

4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 437

$0.94 LKR 311

40.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 345

$1.05 LKR 349

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.40 LKR 465

-45.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$0.46 LKR 154

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.43 LKR 144

4.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,380

$12.86 LKR 4,274

-20.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 LKR 4,304

$12.92 LKR 4,296

0.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 636

$2.09 LKR 693

-8.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.88 LKR 959

4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$0.37 LKR 124

2.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.44 LKR 146

-20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.00 LKR 331

34.00%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

122.90%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

103.25%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

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

$4.24 LKR 1,409

$2.07 LKR 687

104.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 LKR 6,927

$7.41 LKR 2,462

181.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,034

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,471

$2.39 LKR 794

84.94%

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

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.43 LKR 6,126

$10.48 LKR 3,484

75.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,526

$7.70 LKR 2,561

115.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

-5.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$25.89 LKR 8,608

62.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 LKR 55.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

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

Last update for Ragama: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ragama

$234 46.5%

Ratnapura

$258 54.2% 10.6% $25

Eating Out

Ragama

$104 20.7%

Ratnapura

$79 16.5% 24.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ragama

$83 16.5%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 88.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Ragama

$70 14%

Ratnapura

$58 12.1% 18% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 57.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8% 87.2% $1.8

Accommodation & Living

Ragama

- * 0%

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Ragama vs $9 in Ratnapura. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $258, with Ragama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ragama

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

Same time as Ragama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

52,100

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ragama Ratnapura 65 km

From you

Ragama
Ratnapura

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

Ragama vs Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $502 in Ragama and $477 in Ratnapura, so Ratnapura is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $753 in Ragama and $715 in Ratnapura 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratnapura – a meal for two runs $9 versus $25 in Ragama. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $502 per month in Ragama versus $477 in Ratnapura – Ratnapura is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Ratnapura gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.