Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Tecla and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $402 a month against $1,355 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
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Negombo Living Index

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Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,355

/mo nomad

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Tecla and in Negombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,355 in Santa Tecla versus $402 in Negombo.

Santa Tecla $1,355
Negombo $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Santa Tecla versus $649 in Negombo.

Santa Tecla $2,006
Negombo $649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,657 in Santa Tecla versus $897 in Negombo.

Santa Tecla $2,657
Negombo $897

Living in Santa Tecla is roughly 237% more expensive than in Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santa Tecla is 0% above, Negombo is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.56 $6.56

$4.48 LKR 1,483

46.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.20 $44.20

$16.63 LKR 5,508

165.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 $6.82

$7.59 LKR 2,516

-10.14%

Cappuccino

$3.50 $3.50

$1.23 LKR 406

184.55%

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

$1.15 $1.15

$0.69 LKR 228

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 $0.86

$0.25 LKR 82.5

244.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 $1.98

$2.15 LKR 712

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 $3.63

$2.95 LKR 978

23.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.57 LKR 521

11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.53 LKR 174

303.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 $1.43

$0.74 LKR 245

93.24%

Eggs

$2.30 $2.30

$1.64 LKR 543

40.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 $7.52

$14.01 LKR 4,642

-46.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$4.12 LKR 1,366

34.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$6.00 LKR 1,986

70.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.77 LKR 585

84.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$0.69 LKR 229

98.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 $2.64

$2.23 LKR 738

18.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 $3.54

$1.19 LKR 395

197.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$0.73 LKR 242

308.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 $3.35

$0.81 LKR 267

313.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 $0.96

$0.93 LKR 308

3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.43 LKR 142

127.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 $3.94

$10.14 LKR 3,359

-61.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.06 $12.06

$13.52 LKR 4,480

-10.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.20 $2.20

$1.95 LKR 646

12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 $2.95

$3.01 LKR 997

-1.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 LKR 94.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 $6.16

$0.38 LKR 125

1521.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.06 $3.06

$0.37 LKR 124

727.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.27 $20.27

$0.90 LKR 297

2152.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.00 LKR 332

24.00%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

-31.74%

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

$27.0K $27.0K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-33.96%

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

$132 $132

$25.65 LKR 8,497

414.04%

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

$20.92 $20.92

$4.21 LKR 1,395

396.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.31 $42.31

$20.85 LKR 6,908

102.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.72 $24.72

$15.27 LKR 5,059

61.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.07 LKR 3,004

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$2.45 LKR 813

105.31%

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

$160 $160

$37.97 LKR 12.6K

322.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,809 $4,809

$446 LKR 147.9K

977.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 $67.0

$8.82 LKR 2,920

659.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 $46.85

$16.87 LKR 5,586

177.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$36.78 LKR 12.2K

215.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$24.22 LKR 8,023

375.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 $765

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 $548

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$887 $887

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$406 $406

$180 LKR 59.7K

125.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

12.69

-33.02%

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

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Negombo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Tecla

$548 40.4%

Negombo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Santa Tecla

$260 19.2%

Negombo

$194 48.4% 25.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Tecla

$195 14.4%

Negombo

$51 12.6% 74% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Tecla

$155 11.5%

Negombo

$39 9.7% 74.9% $116

Eating Out

Santa Tecla

$140 10.4%

Negombo

$94 23.4% 33.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Tecla

$35 2.6%

Negombo

$20 5% 42% $15

Getting Around

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6%

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.8% 84.2% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Santa Tecla pays 125% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44.00 in Santa Tecla vs $17.00 in Negombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $194 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🇱🇰 Negombo

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

13:33 1:33 PM

11 h 30 min ahead of Santa Tecla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

138,695

142,449

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

LKR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Tecla Negombo 17,400 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Tecla
Negombo

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

Santa Tecla vs Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negombo wins on cost – living expenses run 237% lower than in Santa Tecla. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Negombo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 125% higher in Santa Tecla, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $160 in Santa Tecla versus $37.97 in Negombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Negombo – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $44.00 in Santa Tecla. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $402 in Negombo versus $1,355 in Santa Tecla, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Santa Tecla. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo 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, Santa Tecla and Negombo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Negombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 237% less than in Santa Tecla. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.