Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $784 in China, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
Learn more

Sri Lanka Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sri Lanka and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Sri Lanka versus $784 in China.

Sri Lanka $608
China $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $963 in Sri Lanka versus $1,268 in China.

Sri Lanka $963
China $1,268

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,319 in Sri Lanka versus $1,752 in China.

Sri Lanka $1,319
China $1,752

Living in Sri Lanka costs about 22% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Sri Lanka 55% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 LKR 913

$2.90 ¥19.39

-4.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 LKR 6,333

$22.02 ¥147

-13.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,446

$5.20 ¥34.74

42.12%

Cappuccino

$2.32 LKR 767

$3.04 ¥20.31

-23.68%

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

$0.66 LKR 217

$0.52 ¥3.45

26.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 LKR 95.5

$0.28 ¥1.85

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 LKR 769

$1.01 ¥6.75

130.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,009

$2.19 ¥14.64

39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 LKR 527

$1.75 ¥11.71

-9.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 LKR 161

$1.64 ¥10.96

-70.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 LKR 230

$0.92 ¥6.12

-23.91%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 537

$1.59 ¥10.66

1.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 LKR 3,976

$12.99 ¥86.8

-7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,406

$3.35 ¥22.38

26.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,439

$11.18 ¥74.7

-34.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 LKR 1,857

$1.80 ¥12.02

211.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 257

$1.31 ¥8.78

-40.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 LKR 1,467

$1.47 ¥9.80

202.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 416

$1.32 ¥8.79

-4.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 310

$0.76 ¥5.07

23.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 273

$0.92 ¥6.15

-9.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 LKR 268

$0.59 ¥3.94

37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 157

$0.54 ¥3.63

-12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 LKR 3,291

$3.79 ¥25.34

162.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 LKR 3,962

$12.14 ¥81.1

-1.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 635

$0.82 ¥5.48

134.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 LKR 878

$1.63 ¥10.92

62.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.8

$0.29 ¥1.93

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.95 LKR 1,970

$22.33 ¥149

-73.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 LKR 154

$1.53 ¥10.24

-69.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.35 ¥2.31

-2.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 315

$7.00 ¥46.79

-86.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 LKR 420

$1.31 ¥8.77

-3.05%

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

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

$19.0K ¥127.1K

57.85%

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

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

$17.0K ¥113.7K

136.54%

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

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

$54.1 ¥362

-14.63%

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

$4.00 LKR 1,324

$8.42 ¥56.3

-52.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.77 LKR 5,547

$10.72 ¥71.6

56.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.28 LKR 4,063

$40.72 ¥272

-69.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 LKR 2,104

$14.58 ¥97.4

-56.38%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 LKR 1,233

$6.76 ¥45.15

-44.82%

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

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

$462 ¥3,089

-92.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$581 LKR 192.1K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

-97.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.41 LKR 6,752

$45.57 ¥305

-55.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.50 LKR 5,129

$36.05 ¥241

-57.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

$75.4 ¥504

-3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

$79.0 ¥528

-52.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 LKR 102.2K

$386 ¥2,577

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 LKR 46.0K

$240 ¥1,601

-42.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 LKR 253.2K

$843 ¥5,637

-9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 LKR 80.4K

$461 ¥3,083

-47.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

$4,590 ¥30.7K

-20.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

$2,279 ¥15.2K

-50.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 LKR 71.5K

$1,060 ¥7,082

-79.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

3.46

289.02%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Last update for China: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7%

China

$207 26.1% 5.2% $11

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7%

China

$240 30.1% 72.4% $101

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3%

China

$88 11.1% 6.1% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9%

China

$73 9.2% 9.4% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7%

China

$106 13.4% 61.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2%

China

$54 6.8% 175% $34

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5%

China

$27 3.4% 201% $18

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $57.0 in Sri Lanka, $297 in China. Capital cities: $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $201 in Sri Lanka, $868 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 421% higher in China.

Public transport is 1600% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 332% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

18:35 6:35 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Lanka China 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
China

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 Lanka vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $784 per month in China and $608 in Sri Lanka, there's a 29% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $297 in China and $57.0 in Sri Lanka. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Sri Lanka, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Sri Lanka wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.