Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Bandarawela

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $496 in Bandarawela, rent and utilities included – about $230 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bandarawela outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
Learn more

Ratnapura Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Bandarawela
Learn more

Bandarawela Living Index

Jump to prices

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratnapura and in Bandarawela

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

A single person spends $477 per month in Ratnapura vs $496 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Ratnapura $477
Bandarawela $496

A couple spends around $765 per month in Ratnapura vs $793 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Ratnapura $765
Bandarawela $793

A family of three spends $1,054 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,091 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Ratnapura $1,054
Bandarawela $1,091

Ratnapura is about 4% cheaper than Bandarawela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ratnapura and Bandarawela are more affordable than the global median – Ratnapura 65% lower, Bandarawela 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 LKR 647

$1.40 LKR 465

39.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LKR 3,066

$24.56 LKR 8,164

-62.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 LKR 2,014

$7.77 LKR 2,585

-22.01%

Cappuccino

$2.08 LKR 691

$1.53 LKR 507

35.95%

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

$0.73 LKR 244

$0.63 LKR 208

15.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.27 LKR 90.3

62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 642

$2.22 LKR 739

-13.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 LKR 921

$2.40 LKR 797

15.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 LKR 612

$1.64 LKR 547

12.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 LKR 263

$0.34 LKR 114

132.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 LKR 219

$0.62 LKR 205

6.45%

Eggs

$1.07 LKR 357

$1.08 LKR 357

-0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.73 LKR 4,898

$13.51 LKR 4,492

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 LKR 2,125

$3.70 LKR 1,231

72.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 LKR 5,186

$7.57 LKR 2,516

106.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,417

$6.74 LKR 2,240

-36.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$0.59 LKR 196

27.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 LKR 1,378

$4.51 LKR 1,500

-8.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 311

$1.28 LKR 426

-26.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$0.94 LKR 312

11.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 LKR 465

$0.52 LKR 172

169.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 154

$0.95 LKR 316

-51.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.45 LKR 150

-4.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 LKR 4,274

$9.60 LKR 3,192

33.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,296

$12.90 LKR 4,289

0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 693

$1.95 LKR 649

7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 LKR 959

$2.91 LKR 968

-1.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

$0.14 LKR 46.52

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$1.55 LKR 516

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.38 LKR 126

-2.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.29 LKR 95.7

51.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 155

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 331

$0.99 LKR 328

1.01%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

-54.60%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-51.20%

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

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

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

$2.07 LKR 687

$3.29 LKR 1,094

-37.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.41 LKR 2,462

$5.92 LKR 1,968

25.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,034

$6.21 LKR 2,064

47.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.51 LKR 1,499

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 794

$2.47 LKR 821

-3.24%

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

$37.24 LKR 12.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.48 LKR 3,484

$18.29 LKR 6,081

-42.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.70 LKR 2,561

$16.75 LKR 5,568

-54.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

7.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 LKR 8,608

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

-36.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

-17.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

$45.15 LKR 15.0K

20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$119 LKR 39.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

$61.5 LKR 20.5K

37.49%

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 Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bandarawela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54.2%

Bandarawela

$225 45.3% 13.1% $34

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.5%

Bandarawela

$72 14.6% 7.9% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 20.3% $12

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Bandarawela

$45 9.1% 17.3% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Bandarawela

$11 2.3% 19.8% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 630% $60

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8%

Bandarawela

$3.9 0.8% 0.5% $0

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $76 in Ratnapura versus $92 in Bandarawela. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Ratnapura versus $25 in Bandarawela. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Ratnapura vs $225 in Bandarawela – so Bandarawela wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

Same time as Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

8,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ratnapura Bandarawela 67 km

From you

Ratnapura
Bandarawela

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 Bandarawela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $477 in Ratnapura, $496 in Bandarawela – Ratnapura comes out roughly 4% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $715 per month in Ratnapura and $744 in Bandarawela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $76 there versus $92 in Bandarawela.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9 in Ratnapura and $25 in Bandarawela. 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 $496 in Bandarawela. That makes Ratnapura about 4% cheaper.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $477 in Ratnapura and $496 in Bandarawela, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bandarawela has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Ratnapura to $496 in Bandarawela. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.