Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ratnapura and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $477 in Ratnapura versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Ratnapura $477
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $765 in Ratnapura versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Ratnapura $765
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,054 in Ratnapura versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Ratnapura $1,054
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Ratnapura costs roughly 78% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ratnapura is 65% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 LKR 647

$16.65 €14.96

-88.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LKR 3,065

$61.7 €55.5

-85.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 LKR 2,013

$11.36 €10.20

-46.65%

Cappuccino

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.97 €2.67

-29.97%

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

$0.73 LKR 244

$2.29 €2.06

-68.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 146

$1.74 €1.56

-74.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 LKR 642

$3.40 €3.06

-43.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 LKR 921

$3.31 €2.97

-16.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 LKR 612

$1.16 €1.04

58.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 LKR 263

$1.91 €1.72

-58.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 LKR 219

$1.51 €1.36

-56.29%

Eggs

$1.07 LKR 357

$4.02 €3.61

-73.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.73 LKR 4,896

$12.94 €11.62

13.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.39 LKR 2,125

$7.77 €6.99

-17.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.60 LKR 5,185

$17.76 €15.96

-12.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,417

$2.30 €2.07

85.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.73 €1.56

-56.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 LKR 1,377

$1.86 €1.67

122.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 311

$2.59 €2.33

-63.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 349

$1.82 €1.64

-42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 LKR 465

$1.97 €1.77

-28.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 154

$1.47 €1.32

-68.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.72 €0.65

-40.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.86 LKR 4,273

$6.58 €5.92

95.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.92 LKR 4,295

$5.61 €5.04

130.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 LKR 693

$1.36 €1.22

53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 LKR 959

$2.14 €1.92

34.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 115

$2.33 €2.10

-85.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$3.85 €3.46

-90.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 LKR 146

$1.07 €0.96

-58.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 LKR 331

$2.20 €1.98

-54.55%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$34.2K €30.7K

-42.21%

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

$19.6K LKR 6.5M

$38.7K €34.8K

-49.26%

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

$161 €145

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

$2.07 LKR 687

$18.41 €16.54

-88.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.41 LKR 2,461

$32.74 €29.41

-77.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.13 LKR 3,033

$44.55 €40.03

-79.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$2.39 LKR 794

$9.60 €8.62

-75.10%

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

$668 €600

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.48 LKR 3,483

$102 €91.7

-89.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.70 LKR 2,560

$44.46 €39.95

-82.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 LKR 28.0K

$98.5 €88.5

-14.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.89 LKR 8,606

$124 €111

-79.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.3K

$1,608 €1,445

-95.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$54.6 LKR 18.1K

$1,190 €1,069

-95.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,527

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 LKR 28.1K

$2,013 €1,809

-95.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,043

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,111

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$166 LKR 55.3K

$1,575 €1,415

-89.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

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

Last update for Ratnapura: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$258 54.2%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 5.4% $14

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 209% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$58 12.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 187% $108

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.5%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 2080% $1.1K

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 358% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 2142% $203

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$4 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 1500% $59

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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 9.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $9 in Ratnapura vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $272 per month, with Ratnapura cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

19:34 7:34 PM

14:04 2:04 PM

5 h 30 min behind Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ratnapura Lisbon 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ratnapura
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratnapura and Lisbon differ by about 364% in total monthly costs ($477 vs $2,210 including rent). Ratnapura is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 89% 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 $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ratnapura – a meal for two runs $9 versus $62 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $477 per month in Ratnapura versus $2,210 in Lisbon – a 364% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $477 in Ratnapura versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ratnapura but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Ratnapura the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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