Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Ndola

For one person, living costs are similar in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and in Ndola: $707 and $719 a month, rent and utilities included.

34

Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ndola
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Ndola Living Index

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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$707

/mo nomad

Ndola

🇿🇲 Zambia

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and in Ndola

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

A single person spends $707 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $719 in Ndola, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $707
Ndola $719

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $1,721 in Ndola, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,096
Ndola $1,721

A family of three spends $1,485 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $2,723 in Ndola, rent included.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,485
Ndola $2,723

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is about 2% cheaper than Ndola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Ndola are more affordable than the global median – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 48% lower, Ndola 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 LKR 1,271

$5.58 ZMW 111

-31.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.15 LKR 8,331

$30.02 ZMW 597

-16.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 LKR 2,533

$5.00 ZMW 99.4

53.00%

Cappuccino

$2.57 LKR 852

$2.76 ZMW 54.8

-6.88%

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

$0.73 LKR 241

$0.52 ZMW 10.25

40.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 81.8

$0.24 ZMW 4.73

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 735

$1.22 ZMW 24.31

81.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 989

$2.21 ZMW 44.02

34.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 LKR 421

$1.65 ZMW 32.92

-23.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 LKR 191

$1.18 ZMW 23.56

-50.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 246

$2.13 ZMW 42.31

-65.26%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 568

$1.56 ZMW 31.07

10.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.81 LKR 4,576

$10.15 ZMW 202

36.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 LKR 1,462

$6.18 ZMW 123

-28.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.29 LKR 1,754

$6.71 ZMW 133

-21.16%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 LKR 2,058

$1.47 ZMW 29.27

322.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 279

$2.41 ZMW 48.00

-65.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.36 LKR 1,445

$3.74 ZMW 74.3

16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 LKR 397

$1.54 ZMW 30.72

-22.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$2.53 ZMW 50.4

-65.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 270

$1.80 ZMW 35.84

-54.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$1.10 ZMW 21.93

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 151

$0.58 ZMW 11.60

-20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.15 LKR 3,031

$3.09 ZMW 61.5

196.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 LKR 4,216

$9.83 ZMW 196

29.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 645

$1.46 ZMW 28.97

33.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 LKR 1,001

$2.35 ZMW 46.73

28.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 ZMW 14.29

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 LKR 103

$2.57 ZMW 51.2

-87.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.53 ZMW 30.41

-75.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

$5.03 ZMW 100

-82.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 381

$1.35 ZMW 26.78

-14.81%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

$7,392 ZMW 147.0K

488.32%

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

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

$26.9K ZMW 534.7K

52.45%

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

$45.62 LKR 15.1K

$80.2 ZMW 1,596

-43.15%

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

$4.36 LKR 1,445

$10.45 ZMW 208

-58.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.16 LKR 4,028

$55.2 ZMW 1,098

-77.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.89 LKR 4,933

Cinema Ticket

$3.08 LKR 1,020

$6.04 ZMW 120

-49.01%

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

$37.61 LKR 12.5K

$135 ZMW 2,692

-72.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$896 LKR 296.9K

$16.3K ZMW 324.7K

-94.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.40 LKR 6,093

$23.64 ZMW 470

-22.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.89 LKR 5,593

$15.39 ZMW 306

9.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 LKR 26.3K

$45.69 ZMW 909

73.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.35 LKR 13.7K

$71.4 ZMW 1,421

-42.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 LKR 101.7K

$177 ZMW 3,526

73.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 LKR 74.1K

$148 ZMW 2,948

50.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 LKR 147.4K

$370 ZMW 7,365

20.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 LKR 126.4K

$1,482 ZMW 29.5K

-74.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$692 LKR 229.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 LKR 175.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$298 LKR 98.8K

$596 ZMW 11.9K

-50.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

-56.24%

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

Last update for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ndola: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$224 31.7%

Ndola

$148 20.6% 33.8% $76

Groceries & Markets

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.4%

Ndola

$223 31.1% 0.7% $1.7

Eating Out

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$105 14.9%

Ndola

$106 14.8% 0.7% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$70 9.9%

Ndola

$70 9.8% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$62 8.8%

Ndola

$146 20.3% 135% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3%

Ndola

$12 * 1.7% 42.6% $9

Getting Around

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2.2 * 0.3%

Ndola

$13 * 1.8% 495% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $177 in Ndola. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 100% higher in Ndola, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $30.00 in Ndola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $223 – making Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇿🇲 Ndola

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

3 h 30 min behind Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,826 Capital

455,194

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Ndola 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Ndola

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

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs Ndola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ndola is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,060 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $1,079 in Ndola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $30.00 in Ndola. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Ndola, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $707 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $719 in Ndola, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ndola makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.