Sri Lanka trip budget

Amazing climate, easy connections to the rest of Asia, exotic cities and cost-friendliness make Sri Lanka the perfect destination for those wanting to go on an international tropical trip on a budget.

Colombo city.

Food budget

• Meals in Sri Lanka are relatively cheap
• For only 2USD you can enjoy tasty treats at a local restaurant. However, most tourists prefer dining from tourist restaurants due to higher hygiene levels and fewer spices in the food served there.
• At tourist restaurants lunch inclusive of drinks costs about 12USD while dinner goes for 15USD.
• On average a tourist spends 25 USD on meals inclusive of drinks per day.

Accommodation

• Sri Lanka has a wide range of tourist accommodation facilities that cut across all prices.
• From simple beachside shacks to state of the art Georgian mansions one can get a place to lay down regardless of their budget.
• One night at a standard room costs about 12USD while a standard family cottage goes for 20USD per night.
• However, room prices tend to be quite high in major cities such as Colombo.

Moving around

• There many ways to move around in Sri Lanka especially in major towns which have uber, train and public bus transport services.
• Buses charge less than 10USD for a journey of 3-4 hours.
• Trains were my best when it comes to pricing. Train rides cost between 1-4 USD at most. The only limitation of train travel is the lack of railway lines in some parts of the country.
• For those who would opt to have a personal driver then you have to part with 50USD per day.
• To cut down on expenses, walk if the place you want to access is nearby.

SITE VISITS

• Most tourist attractions charge an entrance fee before a tourist is allowed in. However, it is completely worth it.
• Most tourist attractions with exception of UNESCO heritage sites charge between 5-10USD. Historical temples and museums charge the lowest while UNESCO sites and safari trips are the most expensive and cost almost 100USD.
• However, these prices tend to change at different times of the year depending on the number of tourists in the country.

Overview

• The budget per day for a tourist visiting Sri Lanka is averagely 50USD and therefore depending on the number of days you're visiting, do the math and carry enough cash.
• I had a budget of 1000USD and it was more than enough.

Come to visit Sri Lanka!