Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $1,838 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Sri Lanka versus $1,838 in Italy.

Sri Lanka $608
Italy $1,838

Estimated couple costs with rent: $963 in Sri Lanka versus $2,793 in Italy.

Sri Lanka $963
Italy $2,793

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,319 in Sri Lanka versus $3,748 in Italy.

Sri Lanka $1,319
Italy $3,748

Living in Sri Lanka costs about 67% less than in Italy on average.

Sri Lanka (55% below) and Italy (37% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 LKR 913

$20.52 €18.31

-86.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 LKR 6,333

$79.8 €71.2

-76.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,446

$11.30 €10.08

-34.60%

Cappuccino

$2.32 LKR 767

$2.04 €1.82

13.73%

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

$0.66 LKR 217

$2.98 €2.66

-77.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 LKR 95.5

$1.35 €1.21

-78.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 LKR 769

$5.56 €4.97

-58.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,009

$5.50 €4.91

-44.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 LKR 527

$1.64 €1.46

-3.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 LKR 161

$2.31 €2.06

-78.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 LKR 230

$2.93 €2.61

-76.11%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 537

$4.10 €3.66

-60.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 LKR 3,976

$17.49 €15.61

-31.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,406

$12.66 €11.29

-66.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,439

$20.70 €18.47

-64.40%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 LKR 1,857

$2.53 €2.26

121.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 257

$2.17 €1.94

-64.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 LKR 1,467

$2.61 €2.33

70.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 416

$3.28 €2.93

-61.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 310

$1.95 €1.74

-51.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 273

$1.84 €1.64

-54.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.57 €1.40

-48.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 157

$0.51 €0.45

-7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 LKR 3,291

$6.83 €6.09

45.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 LKR 3,962

$7.95 €7.10

50.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 635

$1.75 €1.56

9.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 LKR 878

$2.44 €2.18

8.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.8

$1.88 €1.68

-89.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.95 LKR 1,970

$42.69 €38.09

-86.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 LKR 154

$5.77 €5.15

-92.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.72 €1.54

-80.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 315

$34.10 €30.43

-97.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 LKR 420

$2.11 €1.88

-39.81%

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

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

$37.1K €33.1K

-19.05%

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

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

$36.0K €32.1K

11.89%

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

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

$223 €199

-79.23%

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

$4.00 LKR 1,324

$11.53 €10.29

-65.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.77 LKR 5,547

$31.07 €27.73

-46.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.28 LKR 4,063

$54.0 €48.18

-77.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 LKR 2,104

$23.70 €21.15

-73.16%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 LKR 1,233

$10.81 €9.64

-65.49%

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

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

$551 €492

-93.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$581 LKR 192.1K

$11.6K €10.4K

-95.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.41 LKR 6,752

$91.3 €81.5

-77.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.50 LKR 5,129

$38.49 €34.35

-59.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

$104 €93.0

-30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

$130 €116

-71.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 LKR 102.2K

$797 €711

-61.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 LKR 46.0K

$624 €557

-77.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 LKR 253.2K

$1,406 €1,255

-45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 LKR 80.4K

$1,053 €940

-76.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

$3,680 €3,284

-1.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

$2,261 €2,018

-49.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 LKR 71.5K

$1,925 €1,718

-88.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

3.56

278.09%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7%

Italy

$349 19.2% 59.9% $131

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7%

Italy

$624 34.3% 349% $485

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3%

Italy

$279 15.3% 198% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9%

Italy

$265 14.6% 296% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7%

Italy

$164 9% 149% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2%

Italy

$76 4.2% 283% $56

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5%

Italy

$65 3.6% 626% $56

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $57.0 in Sri Lanka, $730 in Italy. Capital cities: $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $1,205 in Rome.

National salary averages: $201 in Sri Lanka, $1,908 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1181% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 270% more in Italy.

Public transport is 4100% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 849% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

16:22 4:22 PM

3 h 30 min behind Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Lanka Italy 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,838 per month in Italy and $608 in Sri Lanka, there's a 202% 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 cheaper in Sri Lanka: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $730 in Italy 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 Italy 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.