Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $691 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$691

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Sri Lanka is 60.5% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 76.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Sri Lanka is 61.3% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 74.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 LKR 978

$12.94 AED 47.54

-77.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.13 LKR 7,026

$83.2 AED 306

-74.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 LKR 2,436

$9.35 AED 34.32

-21.60%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 821

$5.88 AED 21.59

-57.99%

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

$0.63 LKR 210

$1.57 AED 5.77

-59.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.7

$0.94 AED 3.47

-71.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 LKR 795

$13.44 AED 49.37

-82.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 974

$13.57 AED 49.84

-78.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 516

$1.86 AED 6.83

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 LKR 168

$1.56 AED 5.73

-67.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 LKR 238

$2.64 AED 9.68

-72.73%

Eggs

$1.56 LKR 520

$3.53 AED 12.96

-55.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.50 LKR 4,490

$12.97 AED 47.62

4.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 LKR 1,490

$9.94 AED 36.51

-54.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 LKR 2,479

$12.92 AED 47.45

-42.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.64 LKR 1,876

$2.55 AED 9.36

121.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 264

$2.05 AED 7.54

-61.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 LKR 1,274

$1.84 AED 6.77

108.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 LKR 405

$1.54 AED 5.64

-20.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 LKR 301

$1.17 AED 4.31

-23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 LKR 232

$1.02 AED 3.76

-31.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 LKR 331

$1.57 AED 5.75

-36.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 157

$0.67 AED 2.46

-29.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 LKR 3,410

$6.31 AED 23.17

62.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.81 LKR 4,261

$16.16 AED 59.4

-20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 LKR 661

$2.58 AED 9.48

-22.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 978

$2.89 AED 10.60

1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 LKR 60.2

$1.40 AED 5.15

-87.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.16 LKR 2,712

$82.4 AED 303

-90.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$3.29 AED 12.07

-88.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 LKR 106

$0.65 AED 2.40

-50.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 294

$8.13 AED 29.84

-89.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 LKR 419

$1.00 AED 3.68

26.00%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

$26.3K AED 96.6K

65.41%

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

$43.8K LKR 14.6M

$22.0K AED 81.0K

98.50%

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

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

$239 AED 877

-74.92%

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

$4.29 LKR 1,426

$56.9 AED 209

-92.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.96 LKR 5,640

$93.9 AED 345

-81.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.40 LKR 5,119

$90.8 AED 334

-83.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.92 LKR 1,970

$46.38 AED 170

-87.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.12 LKR 1,370

$16.24 AED 59.6

-74.63%

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

$41.15 LKR 13.7K

$934 AED 3,429

-95.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K LKR 5.3M

$20.9K AED 76.8K

-23.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.86 LKR 5,938

$70.7 AED 260

-74.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.27 LKR 5,409

$61.3 AED 225

-73.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

$103 AED 377

-23.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.87 LKR 14.3K

$116 AED 426

-63.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$423 LKR 140.7K

$2,487 AED 9,134

-82.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 LKR 61.4K

$1,520 AED 5,581

-87.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,334 LKR 443.4K

$5,234 AED 19.2K

-74.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 LKR 142.6K

$3,028 AED 11.1K

-85.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,743 LKR 1.2M

$6,982 AED 25.6K

-46.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,138 LKR 378.4K

$4,433 AED 16.3K

-74.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$225 LKR 74.7K

$3,553 AED 13.0K

-93.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.72

4.57

178.34%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: November 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$225 32.5%

Dubai

$297 10.3% 32.4% $73

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$185 26.7%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6% 724% $1.3K

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$97 14%

Dubai

$307 10.6% 218% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$81 11.7%

Dubai

$390 13.5% 380% $308

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$70 10.1%

Dubai

$158 5.5% 126% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$24 3.4%

Dubai

$123 4.3% 422% $100

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$11 1.6%

Dubai

$95 3.3% 772% $84

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h 30 min behind Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Lanka Dubai 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
Dubai

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

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and Dubai

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Sri Lanka

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