Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,457

/mo nomad

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

United Kingdom $2,457
Sri Lanka $608

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

United Kingdom $3,550
Sri Lanka $963

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

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

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 304% higher than in Sri Lanka on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.38 £16.16

$2.76 LKR 913

674.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 £63.9

$19.14 LKR 6,333

341.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.96

$7.39 LKR 2,446

42.63%

Cappuccino

$4.85 £3.66

$2.32 LKR 767

109.05%

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

$2.53 £1.91

$0.66 LKR 217

283.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.39

$0.29 LKR 95.5

534.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 £5.14

$2.33 LKR 769

192.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 £4.92

$3.05 LKR 1,009

113.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.27

$1.59 LKR 527

5.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$0.49 LKR 161

248.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 £1.70

$0.70 LKR 230

221.43%

Eggs

$3.96 £2.99

$1.62 LKR 537

144.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 £7.20

$12.02 LKR 3,976

-20.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.97 £6.77

$4.25 LKR 1,406

111.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.70 £11.11

$7.37 LKR 2,439

99.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 £2.20

$5.61 LKR 1,857

-48.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$0.78 LKR 257

107.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 £2.16

$4.44 LKR 1,467

-35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 £2.60

$1.26 LKR 416

173.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 £1.30

$0.94 LKR 310

82.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.16

$0.83 LKR 273

85.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 £0.93

$0.81 LKR 268

51.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.47 LKR 157

251.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.34 £17.63

$9.95 LKR 3,291

134.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 £8.10

$11.98 LKR 3,962

-10.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.01 £2.27

$1.92 LKR 635

56.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 £2.50

$2.65 LKR 878

24.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.48 £2.63

$0.19 LKR 62.8

1731.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £76.0

$5.95 LKR 1,970

1590.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.07

$0.46 LKR 154

1071.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.38 £1.79

$0.34 LKR 114

600.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.80 £20.25

$0.95 LKR 315

2721.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 £1.52

$1.27 LKR 420

58.27%

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

$38.0K £28.7K

$30.0K LKR 9.9M

26.50%

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

$40.6K £30.7K

$40.3K LKR 13.3M

0.85%

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

$318 £240

$46.21 LKR 15.3K

587.41%

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

$18.35 £13.87

$4.00 LKR 1,324

358.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.75 £31.55

$16.77 LKR 5,547

148.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.41 £35.07

$12.28 LKR 4,063

277.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 £13.82

$6.36 LKR 2,104

187.42%

Cinema Ticket

$13.28 £10.04

$3.73 LKR 1,233

256.03%

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

$1,731 £1,308

$35.47 LKR 11.7K

4781.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K £16.8K

$581 LKR 192.1K

3733.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.4 £69.9

$20.41 LKR 6,752

352.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.27 £34.96

$15.50 LKR 5,129

198.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 £76.5

$72.7 LKR 24.0K

39.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.7

$37.40 LKR 12.4K

171.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,321 £998

$309 LKR 102.2K

327.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 £821

$139 LKR 46.0K

681.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,158 £1,631

$765 LKR 253.2K

182.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 £1,290

$243 LKR 80.4K

602.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,523 £4,174

$3,632 LKR 1.2M

52.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,320 £3,265

$1,134 LKR 375.1K

281.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 £2,466

$216 LKR 71.5K

1410.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

13.46

-60.48%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Sri Lanka

$139 22.7% 87.2% $947

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$378 15.4%

Sri Lanka

$67 10.9% 82.3% $311

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$325 13.3%

Sri Lanka

$94 15.3% 71.2% $232

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.4%

Sri Lanka

$219 35.7% 28.4% $87

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Sri Lanka

$66 10.7% 57.3% $88

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$132 5.4%

Sri Lanka

$8.9 1.5% 93.2% $123

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$73 3%

Sri Lanka

$20 3.2% 73% $53

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $3,229 in the United Kingdom vs $201 in Sri Lanka. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

20:38 8:38 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

21,444,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
Sri Lanka

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

United Kingdom vs Sri Lanka: 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.