Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $541 in Badulla, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratnapura and in Badulla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $477 in Ratnapura versus $541 in Badulla.

Ratnapura $477
Badulla $541

Estimated couple costs with rent: $765 in Ratnapura versus $870 in Badulla.

Ratnapura $765
Badulla $870

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,054 in Ratnapura versus $1,199 in Badulla.

Ratnapura $1,054
Badulla $1,199

Living in Ratnapura costs roughly 12% less than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ratnapura 65% lower, Badulla 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 LKR 647

$3.70 LKR 1,230

-47.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LKR 3,066

$24.42 LKR 8,118

-62.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 LKR 2,014

$7.50 LKR 2,492

-19.20%

Cappuccino

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.46 LKR 818

-15.45%

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

$0.73 LKR 244

$0.72 LKR 238

1.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.27 LKR 89.9

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 642

$2.22 LKR 738

-13.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 LKR 921

$3.08 LKR 1,025

-10.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 LKR 612

$1.63 LKR 543

12.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 LKR 263

$0.53 LKR 177

49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 LKR 219

$0.62 LKR 206

6.45%

Eggs

$1.07 LKR 357

$1.65 LKR 548

-35.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.73 LKR 4,898

$13.58 LKR 4,515

8.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 LKR 2,125

$3.54 LKR 1,176

80.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 LKR 5,186

$7.37 LKR 2,451

111.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,417

$6.68 LKR 2,222

-36.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$0.81 LKR 268

-7.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 LKR 1,378

$4.50 LKR 1,497

-8.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 311

$1.28 LKR 425

-26.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$1.00 LKR 333

5.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 LKR 465

$0.82 LKR 274

70.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 154

$0.94 LKR 314

-51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.43 LKR 142

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 LKR 4,274

$10.29 LKR 3,422

24.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,296

$12.58 LKR 4,183

2.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 693

$1.91 LKR 634

9.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 LKR 959

$2.94 LKR 976

-2.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.38 LKR 126

-2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.37 LKR 124

18.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 310

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 331

$1.39 LKR 461

-28.06%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-55.53%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$40.8K LKR 13.6M

-51.83%

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

$59.2 LKR 19.7K

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

$2.07 LKR 687

$4.29 LKR 1,425

-51.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.41 LKR 2,462

$20.84 LKR 6,929

-64.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,034

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 794

$4.52 LKR 1,503

-47.12%

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

$37.89 LKR 12.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.48 LKR 3,484

$18.20 LKR 6,052

-42.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.70 LKR 2,561

$16.65 LKR 5,536

-53.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

$77.4 LKR 25.7K

8.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 LKR 8,608

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

-37.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

$74.7 LKR 24.8K

1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

$45.64 LKR 15.2K

19.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

$90.2 LKR 30.0K

-6.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,517 LKR 1.5M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$759 LKR 252.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 LKR 55.3K

$227 LKR 75.5K

-26.76%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Badulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54.2%

Badulla

$228 42.1% 11.7% $30

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.5%

Badulla

$103 19% 30.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Badulla

$69 12.8% 19.8% $11

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Badulla

$46 8.4% 16.4% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Badulla

$9 * 1.7% 35% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Badulla

$84 15.6% 791% $75

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8%

Badulla

$2.2 * 0.4% 43.3% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $76 in Ratnapura and $75 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Badulla pays 37% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $9 in Ratnapura vs $24 in Badulla. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $228, with Badulla cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

Same time as Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

110,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Ratnapura Badulla 80 km

From you

Ratnapura
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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 Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratnapura is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% lower in Ratnapura. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76 in Ratnapura versus $75 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Badulla pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratnapura – a meal for two runs $9 versus $24 in Badulla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

Safety-wise, Ratnapura and Badulla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Ratnapura wins on affordability, Badulla on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.