Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wattala and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wattala and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $574 in Wattala versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Wattala $574
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $954 in Wattala versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Wattala $954
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,334 in Wattala versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Wattala $1,334
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Wattala costs roughly 78% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Wattala is 57% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,239

$20.77 $20.77

-81.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 LKR 8,206

$84.6 $84.6

-70.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 LKR 2,479

$12.32 $12.32

-39.29%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 811

$5.63 $5.63

-56.48%

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

$0.69 LKR 227

$3.72 $3.72

-81.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.5

$2.50 $2.50

-90.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 741

$8.05 $8.05

-72.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 985

$9.01 $9.01

-67.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 519

$1.12 $1.12

40.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$3.75 $3.75

-84.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 250

$3.26 $3.26

-76.99%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$4.17 $4.17

-60.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,504

$12.90 $12.90

5.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$14.16 $14.16

-66.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 LKR 2,454

$16.22 $16.22

-54.32%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 LKR 2,140

$4.33 $4.33

49.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.46 $1.46

-41.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 LKR 1,474

$4.51 $4.51

-1.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 423

$4.34 $4.34

-70.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$2.58 $2.58

-61.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 273

$2.35 $2.35

-65.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$1.78 $1.78

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$2.22 $2.22

-79.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.42 LKR 3,450

$9.88 $9.88

5.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 LKR 4,188

$15.08 $15.08

-16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 636

$2.92 $2.92

-34.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,010

$3.46 $3.46

-11.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 LKR 66.2

$1.49 $1.49

-86.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$2.73 $2.73

-86.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$1.66 $1.66

-79.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 310

$35.30 $35.30

-97.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 LKR 395

$0.95 $0.95

25.26%

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

$37.1K LKR 12.3M

$36.0K $36.0K

2.91%

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

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

$27.1K $27.1K

51.59%

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

$58.6 LKR 19.4K

$229 $229

-74.41%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,401

$59.4 $59.4

-92.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 LKR 6,775

$69.9 $69.9

-70.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.64 LKR 4,518

$57.2 $57.2

-76.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.56 LKR 1,510

$16.33 $16.33

-72.08%

Cinema Ticket

$2.99 LKR 990

$14.28 $14.28

-79.06%

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

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

$1,506 $1,506

-97.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

$21.5K $21.5K

-94.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.13 LKR 6,006

$52.8 $52.8

-65.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.81 LKR 5,566

$43.82 $43.82

-61.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$84.8 $84.8

-5.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.41 LKR 14.0K

$103 $103

-58.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$105 LKR 34.9K

$1,907 $1,907

-94.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$60.6 LKR 20.1K

$1,274 $1,274

-95.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 LKR 80.0K

$3,664 $3,664

-93.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 LKR 59.6K

$2,538 $2,538

-92.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.79

86.89%

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

Last update for Wattala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wattala

$234 40.8%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 72.7% $170

Eating Out

Wattala

$103 17.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 245% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wattala

$83 14.5%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 330% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Wattala

$71 12.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 80.9% $57

Accommodation & Living

Wattala

$61 10.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 2004% $1.2K

Sport & Entertainment

Wattala

$20 3.4%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 337% $66

Getting Around

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 1931% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $105 in Wattala and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25.00 in Wattala vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $405 per month, with Wattala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Wattala

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

09:01 9:01 AM

10 h 30 min behind Wattala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,200

974,447

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wattala Austin, TX 15,860 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Wattala
Austin, TX

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

Wattala vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wattala wins on cost – living expenses run 364% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wattala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $861 in Wattala and $3,995 in Austin, TX 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $105 in Wattala versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38.04 in Wattala versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Wattala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $574 in Wattala versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wattala but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Wattala 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, Wattala and Austin, TX are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Wattala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 364% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.