Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wattala and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $40,900 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
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wattala and in London

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

A single person spends $574 per month in Wattala vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Wattala $574
London $3,986

A couple spends around $954 per month in Wattala vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Wattala $954
London $5,791

A family of three spends $1,334 per month in Wattala vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Wattala $1,334
London $7,595

Wattala is about 86% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wattala sits 57% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 LKR 1,239

$25.93 £19.45

-85.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.78 LKR 8,206

$107 £79.9

-76.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 LKR 2,479

$10.71 £8.03

-30.16%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 811

$5.47 £4.11

-55.21%

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

$0.69 LKR 227

$2.97 £2.23

-76.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.5

$2.20 £1.65

-88.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 LKR 741

$9.13 £6.85

-75.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 LKR 985

$7.94 £5.96

-62.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 519

$1.86 £1.40

-15.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$2.07 £1.55

-72.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 250

$2.42 £1.81

-69.01%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$5.09 £3.82

-67.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,504

$12.87 £9.66

5.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$10.43 £7.82

-54.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 LKR 2,454

$16.87 £12.66

-56.08%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 LKR 2,140

$3.11 £2.33

107.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$1.40 £1.05

-39.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 LKR 1,474

$3.08 £2.31

44.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 423

$3.27 £2.45

-60.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$1.58 £1.19

-37.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 273

$1.74 £1.31

-52.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 LKR 295

$1.40 £1.05

-36.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$1.80 £1.35

-74.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.42 LKR 3,450

$23.28 £17.46

-55.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 LKR 4,188

$13.03 £9.77

-2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 LKR 636

$3.17 £2.38

-39.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,010

$4.42 £3.32

-31.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 LKR 66.2

$4.07 £3.05

-95.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 123

$5.58 £4.18

-93.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$3.36 £2.52

-89.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 310

$56.8 £42.58

-98.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 LKR 395

$2.13 £1.60

-44.13%

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

$37.1K LKR 12.3M

$38.2K £28.6K

-2.85%

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

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

$40.9K £30.7K

0.35%

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

$58.6 LKR 19.4K

$372 £279

-84.26%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,401

$17.82 £13.37

-76.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.46 LKR 6,775

$40.37 £30.29

-49.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.64 LKR 4,518

$60.0 £44.99

-77.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.56 LKR 1,510

$21.29 £15.97

-78.58%

Cinema Ticket

$2.99 LKR 990

$17.74 £13.31

-83.15%

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

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

$2,864 £2,149

-98.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

$35.3K £26.5K

-96.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.13 LKR 6,006

$114 £85.5

-84.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.81 LKR 5,566

$54.3 £40.71

-69.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$124 £93.2

-35.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.41 LKR 14.0K

$163 £122

-73.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$105 LKR 34.9K

$2,869 £2,152

-96.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$60.6 LKR 20.1K

$2,233 £1,675

-97.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 LKR 80.0K

$5,266 £3,951

-95.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 LKR 59.6K

$3,778 £2,835

-95.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,037 £3,779

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

4.74

167.72%

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

Last update for Wattala: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wattala

$234 40.8%

London

$349 8.8% 49.2% $115

Eating Out

Wattala

$103 17.9%

London

$388 9.7% 278% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wattala

$83 14.5%

London

$430 10.8% 417% $347

Clothing & Footwear

Wattala

$71 12.3%

London

$205 5.1% 190% $134

Accommodation & Living

Wattala

$61 10.6%

London

$2.2K 56% 3587% $2.2K

Sport & Entertainment

Wattala

$20 3.4%

London

$95 2.4% 387% $76

Getting Around

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5%

London

$285 7.2% 9777% $283

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $105 in Wattala versus $2,869 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Wattala versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $349 – making Wattala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Wattala

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

4 h 30 min behind Wattala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,200

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wattala London 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Wattala
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $574 in Wattala, $3,986 in London – roughly 595% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $861 per month in Wattala and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wattala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $574 in Wattala and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 595%.

Kindergarten costs $38.04 per month in Wattala and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wattala, where all-in costs run around $574, than in London at $3,986. In Wattala it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $574 in Wattala to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Wattala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.