Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $772 in Bentota, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bentota outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
Learn more

Bentota Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratnapura and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $477 in Ratnapura versus $772 in Bentota.

Ratnapura $477
Bentota $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $765 in Ratnapura versus $888 in Bentota.

Ratnapura $765
Bentota $888

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,054 in Ratnapura versus $1,005 in Bentota.

Ratnapura $1,054
Bentota $1,005

Living in Ratnapura costs roughly 38% less than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ratnapura 65% lower, Bentota 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 LKR 647

$3.80 LKR 1,264

-48.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LKR 3,066

$12.01 LKR 3,992

-23.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 LKR 2,014

$7.52 LKR 2,500

-19.41%

Cappuccino

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.39 LKR 795

-12.97%

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

$0.73 LKR 244

$0.72 LKR 241

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

$2.24 LKR 744

-13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 LKR 921

$3.00 LKR 996

-7.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 LKR 612

$1.62 LKR 539

13.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 LKR 263

$0.53 LKR 176

49.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 LKR 219

$0.81 LKR 269

-18.52%

Eggs

$1.07 LKR 357

$1.70 LKR 565

-37.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.73 LKR 4,898

$13.71 LKR 4,559

7.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 LKR 2,125

$3.31 LKR 1,100

93.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 LKR 5,186

$4.40 LKR 1,464

254.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,417

$6.71 LKR 2,229

-36.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$0.74 LKR 247

1.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 LKR 1,378

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-3.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 311

$0.88 LKR 294

6.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$1.04 LKR 347

0.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 LKR 465

$0.79 LKR 262

77.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 154

$0.93 LKR 309

-50.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.46 LKR 153

-6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 LKR 4,274

$10.18 LKR 3,383

26.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,296

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 693

$1.92 LKR 637

8.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 LKR 959

$3.05 LKR 1,015

-5.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

$0.19 LKR 62.3

78.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 146

$0.31 LKR 104

41.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 313

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 331

$1.32 LKR 440

-24.24%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-55.25%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

-52.28%

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

$57.9 LKR 19.3K

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

$2.07 LKR 687

$2.30 LKR 764

-10.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.41 LKR 2,462

$9.30 LKR 3,093

-20.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,034

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 794

$4.65 LKR 1,546

-48.60%

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

$38.46 LKR 12.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,196 LKR 397.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.48 LKR 3,484

$17.92 LKR 5,959

-41.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.70 LKR 2,561

$16.78 LKR 5,577

-54.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

6.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 LKR 8,608

$42.02 LKR 14.0K

-38.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

$553 LKR 184.0K

-86.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

$300 LKR 99.8K

-81.81%

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 Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bentota: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54.2%

Bentota

$217 28.2% 15.8% $41

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.5%

Bentota

$103 13.3% 30.9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Bentota

$70 9.1% 21.2% $12

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Bentota

$300 38.9% 450% $245

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Bentota

$9.3 * 1.2% 33.1% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Bentota

$70 9% 634% $60

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8%

Bentota

$2.7 * 0.4% 32.2% $1.3

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 $553 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $9 in Ratnapura vs $12 in Bentota. Groceries flip the comparison at $258 vs $217, with Bentota cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

Same time as Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

37,000

💱 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 Bentota 53 km

From you

Ratnapura
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratnapura is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $715 in Ratnapura and $1,158 in Bentota 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $76 in Ratnapura versus $553 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bentota pay roughly 16% 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 $12 in Bentota. 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.