Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and India Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and India

Name: India
Address: IN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $465 in Sri Lanka versus $366 in India.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $736 in Sri Lanka versus $581 in India.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,007 in Sri Lanka versus $795 in India.

Living in Sri Lanka is roughly 27% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Sri Lanka 66% lower, India 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 LKR 959

$2.15 ₹205

35.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.61 LKR 6,442

$10.42 ₹996

88.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 LKR 2,538

$3.59 ₹343

115.04%

Cappuccino

$2.42 LKR 794

$1.67 ₹160

44.91%

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

$0.66 LKR 217

$0.39 ₹37.26

69.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 LKR 103

$0.17 ₹15.92

82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 LKR 762

$1.87 ₹179

24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 995

$3.18 ₹304

-4.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 LKR 523

$0.64 ₹61.1

148.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 LKR 164

$0.45 ₹42.66

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 249

$0.63 ₹59.9

20.63%

Eggs

$1.68 LKR 552

$0.87 ₹83.5

93.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 LKR 3,822

$4.62 ₹442

151.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.31 LKR 1,415

$2.86 ₹273

50.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.97 LKR 2,289

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 LKR 1,897

$1.95 ₹186

195.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 263

$0.67 ₹64.3

19.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.07 LKR 1,339

$0.99 ₹94.3

311.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 397

$0.51 ₹48.45

137.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 LKR 319

$0.35 ₹33.23

177.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 270

$0.42 ₹39.69

95.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 LKR 260

$0.44 ₹41.87

79.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 150

$0.31 ₹29.80

48.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.31 LKR 3,388

$5.14 ₹491

100.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 LKR 4,001

$7.58 ₹724

60.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 640

$1.67 ₹160

16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 LKR 871

$2.79 ₹266

-5.02%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.36 ₹512

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.1

$0.25 ₹23.64

-36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.16 LKR 2,024

$8.53 ₹815

-27.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 LKR 145

$0.94 ₹89.4

-53.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.27 ₹25.96

29.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 307

$1.60 ₹153

-41.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 LKR 397

$1.12 ₹107

8.04%

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

$30.6K LKR 10.1M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

146.01%

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

$39.8K LKR 13.1M

$20.2K ₹1.9M

97.55%

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

$48.47 LKR 15.9K

$37.28 ₹3,562

30.02%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,380

$3.49 ₹334

20.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.40 LKR 5,389

$7.20 ₹688

127.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.28 LKR 4,365

$14.69 ₹1,403

-9.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.27 LKR 2,061

$7.31 ₹698

-14.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.60 LKR 1,182

$3.08 ₹294

16.88%

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

$35.76 LKR 11.8K

$59.1 ₹5,646

-39.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$579 LKR 190.4K

$1,693 ₹161.8K

-65.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.60 LKR 6,769

$23.25 ₹2,221

-11.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.48 LKR 5,088

$24.03 ₹2,296

-35.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 LKR 23.9K

$40.99 ₹3,917

77.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.50 LKR 12.7K

$30.46 ₹2,911

26.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 LKR 98.4K

$143 ₹13.7K

108.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 LKR 45.4K

$93.2 ₹8,902

48.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 LKR 258.5K

$332 ₹31.7K

137.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 LKR 74.4K

$214 ₹20.4K

6.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 LKR 1.2M

$1,203 ₹115.0K

203.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 LKR 366.3K

$643 ₹61.5K

73.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 70.7K

$441 ₹42.1K

-51.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

8.93

50.73%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: September 6, 2026

Last update for India: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $57.0 in Sri Lanka, $121 in India. Capital cities: $299 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $272 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $204 in Sri Lanka, $410 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 112% higher in India.

Dining out costs 110% more in Sri Lanka.

Public transport is 600% more expensive in India.

Salaries are 101% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $519 per month in India and $395 in Sri Lanka, there's a 32% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Sri Lanka: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in India is consistently higher than in Sri Lanka across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Sri Lanka, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in India 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; India may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.