Sri Lanka
Beaches, tea country, safari and ruins inside one small island.
Cheaper. The exchange rate moved +9.8%; local prices rose +3.9%.
- Lean
- $26
- Comfort
- $137
Ranked 6 of 65.
What your money buys there
30 monthsThe dashed line is what a currency converter shows. The solid line is the same thing after prices in both countries are taken into account. When they part, the solid one is telling the truth.
How the score is built
- Dislocation ×0.36
- 67
- Price floor ×0.30
- 83
- Safety ×0.20
- 75
- Ease ×0.14
- 65
Real price drop vs last year and vs the five-year norm
How low the daily cost is in absolute terms
From the current travel advisory
How well set up the country is for visitors
The full reading
| Real change, 3 months | −0.6% | Is the move still going, or already reversing? |
|---|---|---|
| Real change, 12 months | +9.4% | The headline: what your money buys versus a year ago. |
| Exchange rate alone, 12 months | +9.8% | What a currency converter would tell you. |
| Local inflation, 12 months | +3.9% | How much of that the destination's own prices took back. |
| Versus five-year average | +7.4% | Cheap or dear against its own recent history. |
| Advisory | Level 2 | Increased caution |
| Ease of travel | 3.6 / 5 | Workable |
- Scenic trains for a few dollars
- Guesthouses with breakfast from $25
- Leopard safaris at a tenth of Africa's price
Recovering from a 2022 sovereign default: prices have risen quickly and foreigner pricing at national sites is steep.
When to go
November is shoulder season- Janpeak
- Febpeak
- Marpeak
- Aprshoulder
- Mayoff
- Junoff
- Juloff
- Augoff
- Sepshoulder
- Octoff
- Novshoulder
- Decpeak
Safety and ease
- US State Department
- Level 2: Increased caution · updated 13 October 2025
- Read the full advisory ↗
- Advisories are often regional. A country-wide level can hide both safe areas and no-go zones, and other governments may judge differently.
- Tourism infrastructure
- Workable · 3.6 / 5
Dispatches on Sri Lanka
A firmer dollar makes Poland and Morocco the easy wins of the autumn
In three months Poland got 6.7% cheaper in real terms and Morocco 6.3%. Mid-range days cost $94 and $71, and both score at least 4.2/5 for ease.
Elsewhere in South Asia
Reading of 12 November 2026. In US dollars, Sri Lanka reads +9.4% over twelve months in real terms with a mid-range day near $59. Costs are modelled, not quoted: see the method.