Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $621 in Sri Lanka, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
Learn more

Sri Lanka Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$621

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $621 in Sri Lanka versus $399 in India.

Sri Lanka $621
India $399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $984 in Sri Lanka versus $639 in India.

Sri Lanka $984
India $639

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,346 in Sri Lanka versus $879 in India.

Sri Lanka $1,346
India $879

Sri Lanka ($63–$804) and India ($230–$813) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Sri Lanka is roughly 56% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Sri Lanka 54% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 LKR 957

$2.14 ₹204

34.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 LKR 6,567

$10.46 ₹996

88.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,451

$3.80 ₹362

93.95%

Cappuccino

$2.38 LKR 793

$1.68 ₹160

41.67%

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

$0.60 LKR 199

$0.38 ₹36.03

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 LKR 91.9

$0.15 ₹14.62

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 724

$1.87 ₹178

16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,015

$3.18 ₹303

-4.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$0.62 ₹59.3

159.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 LKR 170

$0.50 ₹47.82

2.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 251

$0.63 ₹60.4

19.05%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 563

$0.96 ₹91.4

76.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 LKR 3,930

$4.85 ₹462

143.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 LKR 1,394

$2.84 ₹271

47.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 LKR 2,354

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 LKR 1,857

$2.00 ₹191

179.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$0.65 ₹61.5

24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 LKR 1,348

$0.97 ₹92.4

317.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 427

$0.47 ₹44.35

172.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 294

$0.34 ₹31.91

158.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 261

$0.42 ₹39.77

85.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 LKR 258

$0.47 ₹44.44

63.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 147

$0.31 ₹29.71

41.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 LKR 3,326

$5.08 ₹483

97.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 LKR 3,988

$7.31 ₹696

64.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 LKR 644

$1.63 ₹155

19.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 LKR 889

$2.76 ₹263

-3.26%

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

$5.11 ₹487

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 LKR 48.56

$0.26 ₹24.88

-42.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.24 LKR 2,075

$8.58 ₹817

-27.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 LKR 145

$1.00 ₹94.8

-57.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.27 ₹25.77

40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 304

$1.54 ₹146

-40.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 LKR 410

$1.07 ₹102

14.95%

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

$44.4K LKR 14.7M

$11.2K ₹1.1M

295.48%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

99.77%

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

$47.47 LKR 15.8K

$37.08 ₹3,531

28.02%

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

$4.09 LKR 1,359

$3.58 ₹341

14.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.72 LKR 5,558

$7.15 ₹681

133.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.59 LKR 4,520

$15.00 ₹1,428

-9.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.16 LKR 2,046

$7.17 ₹683

-14.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 LKR 1,427

$3.20 ₹304

34.06%

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

$34.82 LKR 11.6K

$58.8 ₹5,599

-40.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$557 LKR 185.2K

$1,667 ₹158.7K

-66.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.77 LKR 6,904

$23.03 ₹2,193

-9.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.85 LKR 4,937

$24.17 ₹2,301

-38.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 LKR 23.4K

$41.20 ₹3,923

71.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.79 LKR 11.9K

$29.62 ₹2,820

20.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 LKR 106.9K

$146 ₹13.9K

119.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 LKR 49.1K

$96.4 ₹9,175

53.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 LKR 334.7K

$343 ₹32.6K

193.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 LKR 96.4K

$234 ₹22.3K

24.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 LKR 1.2M

$1,177 ₹112.1K

209.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 LKR 367.6K

$633 ₹60.3K

74.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 71.3K

$409 ₹38.9K

-47.53%

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: October 27, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$216 34.7%

India

$102 25.6% 52.6% $114

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$148 23.8%

India

$96 24.1% 34.8% $51

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.2%

India

$67 16.7% 29.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$68 11%

India

$48 12% 30% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$64 10.3%

India

$53 13.3% 16.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$22 3.6%

India

$21 5.4% 3.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$9.1 1.5%

India

$12 3% 31.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $196 in Sri Lanka, $120 in India. Capital cities: $300 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $277 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $202 in Sri Lanka, $412 in India. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in Sri Lanka.

Dining out costs 109% more in Sri Lanka.

Public transport is 60% more expensive in India.

Salaries are about 2 times higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

Same time as Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.21 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.41 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sri Lanka India 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $399 per month in India and $621 in Sri Lanka, India comes out about 36% cheaper. 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 $196 in Sri Lanka and $120 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.