Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Anuradhapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $506 in Anuradhapura, rent and utilities included – about $350 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratnapura and in Anuradhapura

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

A single person spends $477 per month in Ratnapura vs $506 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Ratnapura $477
Anuradhapura $506

A couple spends around $766 per month in Ratnapura vs $820 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Ratnapura $766
Anuradhapura $820

A family of three spends $1,056 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,134 in Anuradhapura, rent included.

Ratnapura $1,056
Anuradhapura $1,134

Ratnapura is about 6% cheaper than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ratnapura and Anuradhapura are more affordable than the global median – Ratnapura 65% lower, Anuradhapura 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 LKR 654

$3.75 LKR 1,242

-47.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.04 LKR 2,994

$24.57 LKR 8,139

-63.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 LKR 1,974

$7.52 LKR 2,490

-20.74%

Cappuccino

$2.12 LKR 704

$2.44 LKR 810

-13.11%

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

$0.75 LKR 247

$0.68 LKR 227

10.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 156

$0.27 LKR 89.9

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 LKR 644

$2.23 LKR 738

-13.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 LKR 883

$2.99 LKR 990

-10.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 LKR 614

$1.61 LKR 534

14.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 LKR 259

$0.57 LKR 189

36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 LKR 204

$0.81 LKR 269

-24.69%

Eggs

$1.06 LKR 353

$1.63 LKR 541

-34.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 LKR 4,934

$13.86 LKR 4,590

7.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.25 LKR 2,071

$4.92 LKR 1,630

27.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 LKR 5,266

$7.26 LKR 2,405

119.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,416

$6.67 LKR 2,208

-35.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 245

$0.86 LKR 286

-13.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 LKR 1,441

$4.46 LKR 1,476

-2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 LKR 314

$1.26 LKR 418

-24.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.00 LKR 330

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 LKR 457

$0.83 LKR 274

66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 151

$0.93 LKR 308

-50.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.09 LKR 4,337

$10.39 LKR 3,441

25.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.86 LKR 4,261

$13.07 LKR 4,330

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 LKR 668

$1.96 LKR 648

3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 LKR 925

$2.90 LKR 961

-3.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 114

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.40 LKR 134

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.37 LKR 123

16.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 LKR 302

$1.34 LKR 443

-32.09%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-54.53%

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

$19.5K LKR 6.5M

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-51.29%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

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

$2.07 LKR 686

$4.23 LKR 1,401

-51.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.38 LKR 2,445

$21.09 LKR 6,984

-65.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.94 LKR 2,963

Cinema Ticket

$2.40 LKR 793

$4.41 LKR 1,460

-45.58%

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

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.42 LKR 3,452

$18.46 LKR 6,115

-43.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.54 LKR 2,497

$16.65 LKR 5,515

-54.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 LKR 27.5K

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

3.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.42 LKR 8,419

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

-39.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 LKR 25.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.3 LKR 18.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.1 LKR 28.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$172 LKR 57.0K

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 Ratnapura: October 17, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$259 54.2%

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9% 8.2% $21

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.6%

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3% 30% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$57 11.9%

Anuradhapura

$71 14% 24.6% $14

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.6%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7% 35.8% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6% 787% $74

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$3.9 * 0.8%

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5% 41.9% $1.6

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 $9.00 in Ratnapura versus $25.00 in Anuradhapura. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Ratnapura vs $237 in Anuradhapura – so Anuradhapura wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

Same time as Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

63,200

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ratnapura Anuradhapura 180 km

From you

Ratnapura
Anuradhapura

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

Ratnapura vs Anuradhapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $477 in Ratnapura, $506 in Anuradhapura – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $716 per month in Ratnapura and $759 in Anuradhapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Ratnapura and $25.00 in Anuradhapura. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $477 in Ratnapura and $506 in Anuradhapura. That's a gap of about 6%.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $477 in Ratnapura and $506 in Anuradhapura, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ratnapura – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ratnapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Anuradhapura makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.