Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trincomalee and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Trincomalee: $509 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Trincomalee
Learn more

Trincomalee Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Trincomalee

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Trincomalee and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Trincomalee and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $509 in Trincomalee versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Trincomalee $509
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $826 in Trincomalee versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Trincomalee $826
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,143 in Trincomalee versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Trincomalee $1,143
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Trincomalee costs roughly 77% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Trincomalee is 63% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 LKR 1,300

$16.65 €14.95

-76.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.21 LKR 8,380

$61.7 €55.5

-59.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 LKR 2,575

$11.36 €10.20

-31.78%

Cappuccino

$2.53 LKR 840

$2.97 €2.67

-14.81%

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

$0.73 LKR 242

$2.29 €2.06

-68.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.3

$1.74 €1.56

-85.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 LKR 749

$3.40 €3.06

-33.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 992

$3.31 €2.97

-9.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 538

$1.16 €1.04

39.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.91 €1.72

-72.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 247

$1.51 €1.36

-50.99%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 545

$4.02 €3.61

-59.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.05 LKR 4,670

$12.94 €11.62

8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 LKR 1,655

$7.77 €6.98

-35.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.30 LKR 2,425

$17.76 €15.95

-58.90%

Apples (1kg)

$6.62 LKR 2,201

$2.30 €2.07

187.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 289

$1.73 €1.56

-49.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,481

$1.86 €1.67

139.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 441

$2.59 €2.33

-48.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 344

$1.82 €1.64

-43.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$1.97 €1.77

-61.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 315

$1.47 €1.32

-35.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.72 €0.65

-41.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 LKR 3,362

$6.58 €5.91

53.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.10 LKR 4,354

$5.61 €5.04

133.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 631

$1.36 €1.22

39.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 965

$2.14 €1.92

35.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$3.85 €3.46

-89.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.07 €0.96

-67.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 293

$16.46 €14.79

-94.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 446

$2.20 €1.98

-39.09%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$34.2K €30.7K

28.65%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$38.7K €34.8K

3.54%

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

$58.2 LKR 19.3K

$161 €145

-63.91%

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

$4.17 LKR 1,388

$18.41 €16.54

-77.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.63 LKR 6,858

$32.74 €29.41

-36.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 LKR 1,479

$9.60 €8.62

-53.65%

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

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

$668 €600

-94.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,193 LKR 396.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

-93.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.98 LKR 5,976

$102 €91.6

-82.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.87 LKR 5,608

$44.46 €39.94

-62.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 LKR 26.8K

$98.5 €88.5

-18.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.56 LKR 14.1K

$124 €111

-65.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

3.85

229.61%

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

Last update for Trincomalee: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Trincomalee

$238 46.7%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 14.6% $35

Eating Out

Trincomalee

$106 20.8%

Lisbon

$243 11% 129% $137

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trincomalee

$83 16.3%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 156% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Trincomalee

$71 14%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 133% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Trincomalee

$8.9 * 1.8%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 616% $55

Getting Around

Trincomalee

$2.1 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 2853% $61

Accommodation & Living

Trincomalee

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Trincomalee vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $272 per month, with Trincomalee cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Trincomalee

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

21:06 9:06 PM

5 h 30 min behind Trincomalee

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

99,100

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Trincomalee Lisbon 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Trincomalee
Lisbon

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

Trincomalee vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $509 in Trincomalee and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Trincomalee is about 77% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $763 in Trincomalee and $3,315 in Lisbon to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $509 per month in Trincomalee versus $2,210 in Lisbon – Trincomalee is about 77% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $509 in Trincomalee versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Trincomalee but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Trincomalee the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Trincomalee and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.