Cost of living in Sri Lanka
If you're planning on relocating from Canada to Sri Lanka it’s important to build a realistic budget based on the cost of living in your chosen destination. The cost of everyday life, from rent and utilities, to childcare and education, tax and other unavoidable costs, can vary enormously based on market forces, the strength of the local economy and government policies.
Read on as we explore key information about the differences in cost of living between Sri Lanka & Canada, focusing on everything from the costs of food, healthcare, entertainment and more.
What contributes to the cost of living between Sri Lanka & Canada?
In this guide we look at differences in cost of living between Sri Lanka & Canada, so you can start to build up a budget to cover your costs when you relocate. Cost of living is highly personalised, and can depend on the things you like to do, food you like to eat, type of home you want to live in, and so on. Naturally, living in a new country with a family, paying for a larger property, education and healthcare, would cost significantly more than an international student looking only to cover basic expenses during a relatively short term stay.
To help you plan your spending we’ve covered different common expenses in Sri Lanka such as transport, healthcare, childcare and entertainment. Read on for more detail on each.
Pro tip: Use our international payment comparison tools to work out the best options for you to send international payments to and from Sri Lanka & Canada with low fees and great rates.
Is Sri Lanka expensive?
Based on data from Numbeo, the cost of living in Sri Lanka is 43.9% lower vs Canada when you take into account daily spending without rent.
Once you include rent into your calculations, the cost of living in Sri Lanka is 53.8% lower vs Canada.
If you look just at rent, the cost of rent in Sri Lanka is 78.0% lower than Canada.
Your own exact cost of living will depend on many different factors including your lifestyle, hobbies and even health - this guide can help you build up your own budget to live comfortably in your new home.
Wise account
- Receive payments with local account details in 10 currencies
- Hold and exchange 40+ currencies
- Send money quickly to accounts in 160+ countries
- No minimum balance requirement
Transport in Sri Lanka
Getting around will be an important cost to consider when living in Sri Lanka. Whether you’re commuting to work, getting to school or travelling for pleasure, the costs of transport can vary widely from country to country, based on fuel and vehicle prices, and the availability of public transport, taxis, and ride hailing services.
| Transport | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| One way ticket (local transport) | $3.5 (රු734) | $0.2 (රු42) | -93.1% |
| Monthly pass (local transport) | $105 (රු22,012) | $8.2 (රු1,719) | -92.2% |
| Taxi start | $4.5 (රු943) | $0.6 (රු126) | -87.2% |
| Taxi (1km) | $2.2 (රු461) | $0.5 (රු105) | -77.8% |
| Taxi (1 hour waiting) | $38.9 (රු8,155) | $0.7 (රු147) | -98.1% |
| Gas (1 Litre) | $1.6 (රු335) | $1.9 (රු398) | 15% |
Utilities (monthly) in Sri Lanka
No matter where you choose to live in Sri Lanka you’ll need to pay utility bills for electricity, gas, water and other similar services. Utility costs are often dictated, or capped, by government policies, as well as market forces, which can mean that what you pay in one country is quite different to another. Here’s a look at utility costs in Sri Lanka as an example.
| Item | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bills (electricity, gas, water) for 85m2 Apartment | $205.8 (රු43,144) | $69.2 (රු14,507) | -66.4% |
| Mobile Phone Contract (Calls and 10GB+ Data) | $62.7 (රු13,144) | $6.5 (රු1,363) | -89.6% |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data) | $84.9 (රු17,799) | $21.1 (රු4,423) | -75.1% |
Grocery costs in Sri Lanka
Daily grocery costs and availability changes depending on the country you’re in, with factors like the proportion of foods that are imported making a big difference. When you’re in Sri Lanka you’ll need to think about building a suitable food budget for your personal tastes, and based on the costs of items you buy often.
| Item | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk (1 Litre) | $3.1 (රු650) | $2.4 (රු503) | -21% |
| Loaf of fresh bread | $3.7 (රු776) | $0.8 (රු168) | -77.6% |
| Rice (1kg) | $5 (රු1,048) | $1.2 (රු252) | -76.9% |
| 12 eggs (regular) | $4.8 (රු1,006) | $3.2 (රු671) | -33.8% |
| Local cheese (1kg) | $15.5 (රු3,249) | $18.2 (රු3,815) | 17.2% |
| Chicken fillets (1kg) | $16.8 (රු3,522) | $7.1 (රු1,488) | -57.6% |
| Beef (1kg) | $20.4 (රු4,277) | $11.3 (රු2,369) | -44.7% |
| Apples (1kg) | $5.8 (රු1,216) | $10 (රු2,096) | 74.1% |
| Bananas (1kg) | $2 (රු419) | $1.5 (රු314) | -26% |
Wise travel card - a lot cost alternative when travelling
Visa Debit Card
Spend in multiple currencies
Mid-market rateUsing a multi-currency card from Wise for your travels is often a more cost-effective option. Wise provides conversions at the mid-market exchange rate without any markups or hidden fees, ensuring you get the bets possible value for your money.
Accommodation in Sri Lanka
If you’re moving to Sri Lanka you’ll likely need to rent a place to live. No matter where in the world you choose to reside, the costs of rent tend to make up a huge slice of your monthly budget. That said, you can often bring down the overall costs of renting by choosing a less central location or by sharing with others.
| Accommodation | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) City Centre | $1838.9 (රු385,509) | $367.9 (රු77,127) | -80% |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of City Centre | $1643.1 (රු344,461) | $205 (රු42,976) | -87.5% |
| Apartment (3 bedroom) City Centre | $2950.6 (රු618,567) | $1021.9 (රු214,232) | -65.4% |
| Apartment (3 bedroom) Outside of City Centre | $2548.7 (රු534,312) | $385.6 (රු80,838) | -84.9% |
Salaries in Sri Lanka
The amount of money you have in your pocket when you’re living in Sri Lanka is a function of both the salary you can earn, and the amount of tax you need to pay on your income. As taxes can be structured quite differently from one country to the next it’s crucial to get a realistic idea of the amount you’ll lose in taxes - and so the amount you have for spending - before you move.
| Salary | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average monthly salary (after tax) | $3912.9 (රු820,304) | $290.7 (රු60,943) | -92.6% |
Education and childcare in Sri Lanka
For people moving to Sri Lanka with a family, the costs of education and childcare will be an important budget line. Childcare, school fees and university costs can be a huge proportion of your annual budget, particularly when you’re outside of your home country, and may not have access to government funded educational institutions. Here’s a look at some common costs in Sri Lanka to help your research.
| Childcare | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | $1110.6 (රු232,827) | $49.2 (රු10,314) | -95.6% |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | $16572.9 (රු3,474,359) | $643.2 (රු134,841) | -96.1% |
Entertainment and eating out in Sri Lanka
Don’t forget to include discretionary spending on entertainment and personal care to your budget for Sri Lanka. While your own spending in this area will be unique, planning to have some money for fun activities can help you settle into your new home, make new friends and relax into your new life.
| Entertainment | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee (1 Adult) | $58.9 (රු12,348) | $18.9 (රු3,962) | -67.9% |
| Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend) | $23.9 (රු5,010) | $8.8 (රු1,845) | -63.3% |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 ticket | $15 (රු3,145) | $4.8 (රු1,006) | -67.8% |
| Eating out | Canada | Sri Lanka | % difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal out (cheap restaurant) | $25 (රු5,241) | $4.7 (රු985) | -81.1% |
| Meal for 2 (mid-range restaurant), 3 courses | $100 (රු20,964) | $33.8 (රු7,086) | -66.2% |
| Meal at McDonalds (or equivalent) | $15 (රු3,145) | $9.7 (රු2,034) | -35.5% |
| Local Beer (0.5 litres) | $8 (රු1,677) | $3.4 (රු713) | -57.7% |
| Imported Beer (0.33 litre) | $4.6 (රු964) | $4 (රු839) | -12.8% |
| Cappuccino (regular) | $5.2 (රු1,090) | $3.8 (රු797) | -27.4% |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 litre) | $2.9 (රු608) | $1 (රු210) | -65% |
| Water (0.33 litre) | $2.3 (රු482) | $0.6 (රු126) | -76.5% |
Exchange rates between Canada & Sri Lanka
Understanding the differences in exchange rate between Canada & Sri Lanka is important to allow you to manage your money across currencies. Looking at historical data and trends for the LKR/CAD exchange rate can help you understand how far your funds will go once you move.
Loading chart data...
Conclusion
Understanding the differences in cost of living between Sri Lanka & Canada is important for anyone who plans to relocate - either for a short period of work or study, or on a long term basis. By understanding how different costs may be for day to day essentials, you can plan your budget effectively and make sure you hit the ground running in your new home.
If you live an international lifestyle, our currency conversion and international payment comparison tools are the perfect way to help you manage your money across currencies. Use our guides and calculators to figure out the cheapest and most convenient ways to spend in your new country, and to send international payments to and from Sri Lanka & Canada with low fees and great rates.