Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $608 a month against $2,457 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 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
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sri Lanka and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $608 per month in Sri Lanka vs $2,457 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Sri Lanka $608
United Kingdom $2,457

A couple spends around $963 per month in Sri Lanka vs $3,550 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Sri Lanka $963
United Kingdom $3,550

A family of three spends $1,319 per month in Sri Lanka vs $4,643 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Sri Lanka $1,319
United Kingdom $4,643

The cost of living in Sri Lanka is roughly 75% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Sri Lanka sits 55% below the global median, while the United Kingdom is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 LKR 913

$21.38 £16.16

-87.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 LKR 6,333

$84.5 £63.9

-77.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.39 LKR 2,446

$10.54 £7.96

-29.89%

Cappuccino

$2.32 LKR 767

$4.85 £3.66

-52.16%

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

$0.66 LKR 217

$2.53 £1.91

-73.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 LKR 95.5

$1.84 £1.39

-84.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 LKR 769

$6.81 £5.14

-65.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,009

$6.51 £4.92

-53.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 LKR 527

$1.68 £1.27

-5.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 LKR 161

$1.71 £1.29

-71.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 LKR 230

$2.25 £1.70

-68.89%

Eggs

$1.62 LKR 537

$3.96 £2.99

-59.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 LKR 3,976

$9.53 £7.20

26.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,406

$8.97 £6.77

-52.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,439

$14.70 £11.11

-49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$5.61 LKR 1,857

$2.91 £2.20

92.78%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 257

$1.62 £1.22

-51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 LKR 1,467

$2.86 £2.16

55.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 416

$3.44 £2.60

-63.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 310

$1.72 £1.30

-45.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 273

$1.54 £1.16

-46.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.23 £0.93

-34.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 157

$1.65 £1.24

-71.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.95 LKR 3,291

$23.34 £17.63

-57.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 LKR 3,962

$10.71 £8.10

11.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 635

$3.01 £2.27

-36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 LKR 878

$3.30 £2.50

-19.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.8

$3.48 £2.63

-94.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.95 LKR 1,970

$101 £76.0

-94.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 LKR 154

$5.39 £4.07

-91.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$2.38 £1.79

-85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 315

$26.80 £20.25

-96.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 LKR 420

$2.01 £1.52

-36.82%

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

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

$38.0K £28.7K

-20.95%

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

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

$40.6K £30.7K

-0.84%

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

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

$318 £240

-85.45%

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

$4.00 LKR 1,324

$18.35 £13.87

-78.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.77 LKR 5,547

$41.75 £31.55

-59.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.28 LKR 4,063

$46.41 £35.07

-73.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 LKR 2,104

$18.28 £13.82

-65.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 LKR 1,233

$13.28 £10.04

-71.91%

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

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

$1,731 £1,308

-97.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$581 LKR 192.1K

$22.3K £16.8K

-97.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.41 LKR 6,752

$92.4 £69.9

-77.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.50 LKR 5,129

$46.27 £34.96

-66.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

$101 £76.5

-28.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

$102 £76.7

-63.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 LKR 102.2K

$1,321 £998

-76.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 LKR 46.0K

$1,086 £821

-87.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 LKR 253.2K

$2,158 £1,631

-64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 LKR 80.4K

$1,708 £1,290

-85.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

$5,523 £4,174

-34.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

$4,320 £3,265

-73.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$216 LKR 71.5K

$3,264 £2,466

-93.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

5.32

153.01%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7%

United Kingdom

$305 12.4% 39.6% $87

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3% 682% $947

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3%

United Kingdom

$325 13.3% 248% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9%

United Kingdom

$378 15.4% 464% $311

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 134% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2%

United Kingdom

$73 3% 270% $53

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5%

United Kingdom

$132 5.4% 1381% $123

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $57.0 in Sri Lanka vs $1,253 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $302 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $2,853 in London.

Average salary: $201 in Sri Lanka vs $3,229 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 2098% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 315% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 8600% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 1506% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

15:27 3:27 PM

4 h 30 min behind Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sri Lanka United Kingdom 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sri Lanka is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 304% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,253 versus $57.0 in Sri Lanka.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sri Lanka, adding to the overall 304% price gap.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sri Lanka, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Sri Lanka is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.