Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Sri Lanka

Name: Sri Lanka
Address: LK

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.

131

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

Cost of Living Index in Sri Lanka
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Sri Lanka Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States 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 States and in Sri Lanka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

United States $2,734
Sri Lanka $621

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

United States $3,985
Sri Lanka $984

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

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

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 the United States is about 340% higher than in Sri Lanka on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.03 $20.03

$2.88 LKR 957

595.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 $80.0

$19.75 LKR 6,568

305.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$7.37 LKR 2,451

60.11%

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$2.38 LKR 793

133.19%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$0.60 LKR 199

343.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

$0.28 LKR 91.9

675.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.12 $6.12

$2.18 LKR 724

180.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.94 $7.94

$3.05 LKR 1,015

160.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.61 LKR 534

-35.40%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 $3.59

$0.51 LKR 170

603.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.52 $4.52

$0.75 LKR 251

502.67%

Eggs

$4.28 $4.28

$1.69 LKR 563

153.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.22 $13.22

$11.82 LKR 3,930

11.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 $12.60

$4.19 LKR 1,394

200.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.60 $17.60

$7.08 LKR 2,354

148.59%

Apples (1kg)

$5.30 $5.30

$5.59 LKR 1,857

-5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 $1.69

$0.81 LKR 268

108.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$4.05 LKR 1,348

9.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 $4.77

$1.28 LKR 427

272.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$0.88 LKR 294

237.50%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$0.78 LKR 261

303.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 $2.20

$0.77 LKR 258

185.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.44 LKR 147

434.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 $10.98

$10.01 LKR 3,327

9.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.05 $15.05

$12.00 LKR 3,988

25.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$1.94 LKR 645

6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.67 LKR 889

41.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 $1.94

$0.15 LKR 48.56

1193.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.4 $59.4

$6.24 LKR 2,075

851.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.43 LKR 145

732.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 $1.88

$0.38 LKR 125

394.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.84 $29.84

$0.92 LKR 304

3143.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.23 LKR 410

-17.07%

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

$28.8K $28.8K

$44.4K LKR 14.7M

-35.16%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-34.57%

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

$218 $218

$47.47 LKR 15.8K

359.15%

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

$62.5 $62.5

$4.09 LKR 1,360

1427.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.5 $74.5

$16.72 LKR 5,558

345.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 $41.86

$13.59 LKR 4,520

208.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.81 $22.81

$6.16 LKR 2,047

270.29%

Cinema Ticket

$14.70 $14.70

$4.29 LKR 1,427

242.66%

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

$1,489 $1,489

$34.82 LKR 11.6K

4176.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$557 LKR 185.2K

4433.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 $54.3

$20.77 LKR 6,905

161.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 $42.71

$14.85 LKR 4,938

187.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 $94.1

$70.5 LKR 23.4K

33.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$35.79 LKR 11.9K

217.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 $1,659

$322 LKR 106.9K

415.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 $1,348

$148 LKR 49.1K

812.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,007 LKR 334.7K

166.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,169 $2,169

$290 LKR 96.4K

647.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 $3,283

$3,647 LKR 1.2M

-10.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,482 $2,482

$1,106 LKR 367.7K

124.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,296 $4,296

$215 LKR 71.3K

1902.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

13.46

-51.34%

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

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sri Lanka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 49.3%

Sri Lanka

$148 23.8% 89% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

United States

$415 15.2%

Sri Lanka

$216 34.7% 48.1% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$355 13%

Sri Lanka

$68 11% 80.8% $287

Eating Out

United States

$328 12%

Sri Lanka

$94 15.2% 71.3% $234

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5%

Sri Lanka

$64 10.3% 53.4% $73

Getting Around

United States

$80 2.9%

Sri Lanka

$9.1 1.5% 88.6% $71

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$71 2.6%

Sri Lanka

$22 3.6% 68.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $4,549 in the United States vs $202 in Sri Lanka. 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

🇺🇸 United States

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

21:51 9:51 PM

9 h 30 min ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

21,444,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

LKR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United States
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 States vs Sri Lanka: 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.