Nuwara Eliya at a glance
- Nuwara Eliya ranks 6th of 10 priced cities in Sri Lanka on cost: $401 a month in essentials, 13% above Batticaloa, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $181 covers that 0.5×.
- 91.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at DS division level.
- PM2.5 averages 9.6 µg/m³ a year, 2× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Sri Lanka cities we track, so every row says whether Nuwara Eliya is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $401 | $392 | $9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $164 | $160 | $4 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $362 | $352 | $10 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $75 | $74 | $2 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $88 | $86 | $2 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $68 | $67 | $1 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $6 | $6 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $181 | $180 | $1 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $272 | $264 | $8 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $944 | $918 | $26 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Nuwara Eliya, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $3.79 | $3.71 | $0.08 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $20.59 | $20.11 | $0.48 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.43 | $6.28 | $0.15 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.08 | $2.03 | $0.05 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.90 | $1.85 | $0.04 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.57 | $2.51 | $0.06 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.60 | $0.58 | $0.02 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.22 | $0.21 | $0.01 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.36 | $1.33 | $0.03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.42 | $0.41 | $0.01 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $0.66 | $0.65 | $0.02 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.35 | $1.32 | $0.03 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $11.04 | $10.79 | $0.25 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.15 | $4.05 | $0.10 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $5.82 | $5.69 | $0.13 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $0.71 | $0.69 | $0.02 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.07 | $1.04 | $0.03 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.84 | $0.82 | $0.02 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.65 | $0.64 | $0.02 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.40 | $0.39 | $0.01 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.14 | $0.14 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $6.66 | $6.59 | $0.07 |
| Taxi start | $0.36 | $0.35 | $0.01 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.33 | $0.33 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.18 | $1.17 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $48.72 | $48.20 | $0.52 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $19.17 | $18.97 | $0.20 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $3.83 | $3.79 | $0.04 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $11.72 | $11.45 | $0.27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $3.60 | $3.52 | $0.08 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Nuwara Eliya has 91.8 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (DS division level). That is the 5th-highest of 10 Sri Lanka cities we track. Sri Lanka's national figure is 98.8, so Nuwara Eliya runs 7 below the country as a whole.
Every Sri Lanka region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Nuwara Eliya ranks against every city we track
Nuwara Eliya sits ahead of 89% of the 1001 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On cost of living it is ahead of 89% of 998. Its weakest measure is local salary, ahead of only 9% of 999.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Nuwara Eliya sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Nuwara Eliya on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Nuwara Eliya beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Nuwara Eliya in the research deskOr unlock the Sri Lanka deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Abdul malik77, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated