Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Lanka and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Lanka: $621 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $25,400 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
131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
Learn more

United States Living Index

Jump to prices

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$621

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $621 per month in Sri Lanka vs $2,734 in the United States, rent included.

Sri Lanka $621
United States $2,734

A couple spends around $984 per month in Sri Lanka vs $3,985 in the United States, rent included.

Sri Lanka $984
United States $3,985

A family of three spends $1,346 per month in Sri Lanka vs $5,235 in the United States, rent included.

Sri Lanka $1,346
United States $5,235

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Sri Lanka ($63–$804), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sri Lanka is roughly 77% lower than in the United States on average.

Sri Lanka sits 54% below the global median, while the United States is 101% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 LKR 957

$20.03 $20.03

-85.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.75 LKR 6,567

$80.0 $80.0

-75.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,451

$11.80 $11.80

-37.54%

Cappuccino

$2.38 LKR 793

$5.55 $5.55

-57.12%

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

$0.60 LKR 199

$2.66 $2.66

-77.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 LKR 91.9

$2.17 $2.17

-87.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 724

$6.12 $6.12

-64.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,015

$7.94 $7.94

-61.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$1.04 $1.04

54.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 LKR 170

$3.59 $3.59

-85.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 251

$4.52 $4.52

-83.41%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 563

$4.28 $4.28

-60.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 LKR 3,930

$13.22 $13.22

-10.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 LKR 1,394

$12.60 $12.60

-66.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 LKR 2,354

$17.60 $17.60

-59.77%

Apples (1kg)

$5.59 LKR 1,857

$5.30 $5.30

5.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.69 $1.69

-52.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.05 LKR 1,348

$4.44 $4.44

-8.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 427

$4.77 $4.77

-73.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 LKR 294

$2.97 $2.97

-70.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 261

$3.15 $3.15

-75.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 LKR 258

$2.20 $2.20

-65.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 LKR 147

$2.35 $2.35

-81.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.01 LKR 3,326

$10.98 $10.98

-8.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 LKR 3,988

$15.05 $15.05

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 LKR 644

$2.06 $2.06

-5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 LKR 889

$3.79 $3.79

-29.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 LKR 48.56

$1.94 $1.94

-92.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.24 LKR 2,075

$59.4 $59.4

-89.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 LKR 145

$3.58 $3.58

-87.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.88 $1.88

-79.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 304

$29.84 $29.84

-96.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 LKR 410

$1.02 $1.02

20.59%

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

$44.4K LKR 14.7M

$28.8K $28.8K

54.23%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$26.2K $26.2K

52.84%

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

$47.47 LKR 15.8K

$218 $218

-78.22%

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

$4.09 LKR 1,359

$62.5 $62.5

-93.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.72 LKR 5,558

$74.5 $74.5

-77.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.59 LKR 4,520

$41.86 $41.86

-67.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.16 LKR 2,046

$22.81 $22.81

-72.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 LKR 1,427

$14.70 $14.70

-70.82%

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

$34.82 LKR 11.6K

$1,489 $1,489

-97.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$557 LKR 185.2K

$25.3K $25.3K

-97.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.77 LKR 6,904

$54.3 $54.3

-61.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.85 LKR 4,937

$42.71 $42.71

-65.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.5 LKR 23.4K

$94.1 $94.1

-25.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.79 LKR 11.9K

$114 $114

-68.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 LKR 106.9K

$1,659 $1,659

-80.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 LKR 49.1K

$1,348 $1,348

-89.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 LKR 334.7K

$2,682 $2,682

-62.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 LKR 96.4K

$2,169 $2,169

-86.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,647 LKR 1.2M

$3,283 $3,283

11.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,106 LKR 367.6K

$2,482 $2,482

-55.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 LKR 71.3K

$4,296 $4,296

-95.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.46

6.55

105.50%

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

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 27, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sri Lanka

$216 34.7%

United States

$415 15.2% 92.6% $200

Accommodation & Living

Sri Lanka

$148 23.8%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 812% $1.2K

Eating Out

Sri Lanka

$94 15.2%

United States

$328 12% 248% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Lanka

$68 11%

United States

$355 13% 420% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Lanka

$64 10.3%

United States

$137 5% 115% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Lanka

$22 3.6%

United States

$71 2.6% 221% $49

Getting Around

Sri Lanka

$9.1 1.5%

United States

$80 2.9% 777% $71

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $196 in Sri Lanka vs $1,620 in the United States. For reference, capital cities sit at $300 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $2,768 in Washington, DC.

Average salary: $202 in Sri Lanka vs $4,549 in the United States. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 727% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 226% more in the United States.

Public transport is 1160% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 23 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

16:11 4:11 PM

06:41 6:41 AM

9 h 30 min behind Sri Lanka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,444,000

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

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Between locations

Sri Lanka United States 15,100 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Lanka
United States

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 States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sri Lanka is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 77% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $196 in Sri Lanka.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Sri Lanka – part of why living there is about 77% cheaper overall.

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

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