For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $1,783 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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 Spain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Sri Lanka versus $1,783 in Spain.
Sri Lanka $608
Spain $1,783
Estimated couple costs with rent: $963 in Sri Lanka versus $2,606 in Spain.
Sri Lanka $963
Spain $2,606
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,319 in Sri Lanka versus $3,429 in Spain.
Sri Lanka $1,319
Spain $3,429
🌍
Living in Sri Lanka costs about 66% less than in Spain on average.
📊
Sri Lanka (55% below) and Spain (33% above) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.76LKR 913
$16.95€15.12
-83.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.14LKR 6,333
$56.7€50.6
-66.23%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$7.39LKR 2,446
$11.32€10.10
-34.72%
Cappuccino
$2.32LKR 767
$2.33€2.08
-0.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66LKR 217
$2.67€2.39
-75.28%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.29LKR 95.5
$1.86€1.66
-84.41%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.33LKR 769
$3.27€2.92
-28.75%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.05LKR 1,009
$3.96€3.53
-22.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.59LKR 527
$1.22€1.09
30.33%
White Bread(500g)
$0.49LKR 161
$1.47€1.31
-66.67%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$0.70LKR 230
$1.67€1.49
-58.08%
Eggs
$1.62LKR 537
$3.45€3.08
-53.04%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$12.02LKR 3,976
$14.14€12.62
-14.99%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$4.25LKR 1,406
$8.30€7.41
-48.80%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$7.37LKR 2,439
$15.99€14.27
-53.91%
Apples(1kg)
$5.61LKR 1,857
$2.44€2.18
129.92%
Banana(1kg)
$0.78LKR 257
$1.97€1.76
-60.41%
Oranges(1kg)
$4.44LKR 1,467
$2.16€1.93
105.56%
Tomato(1kg)
$1.26LKR 416
$2.58€2.30
-51.16%
Potato(1kg)
$0.94LKR 310
$1.86€1.66
-49.46%
Onion(1kg)
$0.83LKR 273
$1.95€1.74
-57.44%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.81LKR 268
$1.35€1.21
-40.00%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.47LKR 157
$0.72€0.65
-34.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$9.95LKR 3,291
$6.36€5.68
56.45%
Wine(Bottle)
$11.98LKR 3,962
$5.59€4.99
114.31%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92LKR 635
$1.25€1.11
53.60%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.65LKR 878
$2.04€1.82
29.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.19LKR 62.8
$1.65€1.47
-88.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$5.95LKR 1,970
$33.88€30.24
-82.44%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.46LKR 154
$4.45€3.97
-89.66%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.34LKR 114
$1.44€1.29
-76.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$0.95LKR 315
$24.55€21.91
-96.13%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.27LKR 420
$1.74€1.56
-27.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0KLKR 9.9M
$36.0K€32.1K
-16.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.3KLKR 13.3M
$29.8K€26.6K
34.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$46.21LKR 15.3K
$151€135
-69.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.00LKR 1,324
$17.62€15.72
-77.30%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.77LKR 5,547
$32.06€28.61
-47.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$12.28LKR 4,063
$45.30€40.42
-72.89%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.36LKR 2,104
$15.11€13.49
-57.91%
Cinema Ticket
$3.73LKR 1,233
$9.27€8.27
-59.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$35.47LKR 11.7K
$531€474
-93.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$581LKR 192.1K
$10.4K€9,278
-94.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.41LKR 6,752
$86.4€77.1
-76.37%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.50LKR 5,129
$37.02€33.04
-58.13%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$72.7LKR 24.0K
$90.9€81.1
-20.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$37.40LKR 12.4K
$104€92.9
-64.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$309LKR 102.2K
$993€886
-68.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$139LKR 46.0K
$791€706
-82.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$765LKR 253.2K
$1,606€1,433
-52.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$243LKR 80.4K
$1,197€1,068
-79.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,632LKR 1.2M
$4,073€3,635
-10.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,134LKR 375.1K
$2,601€2,321
-56.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sri Lanka
Spain
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$216LKR 71.5K
$2,001€1,786
-89.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
13.46
3.29
309.12%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026
Last update for Spain: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sri Lanka
$219 35.7%
Spain
$270 15.3% ↑ 23.5%$51
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sri Lanka
$139 22.7%
Spain
$791 44.9% ↑ 469%$652
🍽Eating Out
Sri Lanka
$94 15.3%
Spain
$240 13.6% ↑ 156%$146
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sri Lanka
$67 10.9%
Spain
$201 11.4% ↑ 200%$134
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sri Lanka
$66 10.7%
Spain
$143 8.1% ↑ 118%$78
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sri Lanka
$20 3.2%
Spain
$64 3.6% ↑ 223%$44
🚌Getting Around
Sri Lanka
$8.9 1.5%
Spain
$52 3% ↑ 486%$43
🛒Groceries & Markets
Sri Lanka
$500 38.5%
Spain
$643 18.9% ↑ 28.5%$142
🏠Accommodation & Living
Sri Lanka
$243 18.7%
Spain
$1.2K 35.2% ↑ 392%$954
🍽Eating Out
Sri Lanka
$274 21.1%
Spain
$770 22.7% ↑ 181%$496
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sri Lanka
$71 5.5%
Spain
$219 6.4% ↑ 208%$148
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Sri Lanka
$146 11.2%
Spain
$318 9.4% ↑ 118%$172
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Sri Lanka
$46 3.5%
Spain
$143 4.2% ↑ 212%$97
🚌Getting Around
Sri Lanka
$18 1.4%
Spain
$108 3.2% ↑ 492%$89
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $57.0 in Sri Lanka, $911 in Spain. Capital cities: $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $1,524 in Madrid.
💰National salary averages: $201 in Sri Lanka, $1,980 in Spain. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 1498% higher in Spain.
⭐Dining out costs 185% more in Spain.
⭐Public transport is 2800% more expensive in Spain.
⭐Salaries are 885% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.
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 Spain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is more expensive to live in: Spain or Sri Lanka?
At $1,783 per month in Spain and $608 in Sri Lanka, there's a 193% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Where are groceries and transport cheaper: Spain or Sri Lanka?
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.
How do rents compare between Spain and Sri Lanka?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $911 in Spain and $57.0 in Sri Lanka. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
How far does $1,200 go in Spain compared to Sri Lanka?
In Sri Lanka, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.
How do I choose between living in Spain and in Sri Lanka?
It depends on what you're after: Sri Lanka wins on affordability; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.