How Much Does It Cost To Travel Sri Lanka? 2025 Budget Breakdown
- Kate Colliety
- Sep 26
- 8 min read
How much does it really cost to travel to Sri Lanka? After spending 2 months exploring the island by tuk tuk, surfing the south coast, hiking the hill country, and staying in dozens of homestays, we tracked every rupee to bring you the most up-to-date Sri Lanka travel budget.
From £5 homestays and £1 coconut rotis to safaris, SIM cards, and drone licenses this is a complete breakdown of how much it costs to travel Sri Lanka, based on what we actually spent as a couple over 59 days. Whether you're a budget backpacker or planning a mid-range holiday, we’ve included real examples of accommodation, food, transport, activities, and more.
Cost of Accommodation in Sri Lanka
During our time in Sri Lanka we found the accommodation to be super affordable. As budget backpackers, we often opted for local homestays that we sometimes paid as little as £5, including breakfast… And yes, that was for both of us.
Budget Stays
We often saw hostel beds for £5- 10 ($6-$12) a night which are great options for solo travellers. The cheapest accommodation we saw was always the homestays, locally run guesthouses that often had one or two rooms inside a family home. Sometimes you can pay extra for dinner and breakfast as well, and to be honest some of the best food we had in Sri Lanka was from the homestays.
Mid-Range Hotels
If you’re looking for a bit more comfort, mid-range hotels usually range from £20-£60 ($25-$75) per night. These often include A/C, a private bathroom, and sometimes a pool.
Luxury Hotels & Resorts
In the main tourist towns of Ella, Sigiriya and the south coast you can find luxury 5 star hotels which of course cost more. Prices start around £150 ($190) and can go up to £300+ ($375+) per night, but you’ll often get picture-perfect infinity pools, spa treatments, and ocean views.
How Much We Spent In Sri Lanka on Accommodation
Over 59 days in Sri Lanka, we spent a total of £507.26 / $639.13 / €613.78 on accommodation for both of us.
That works out to just £8.59 / $10.83 / €10.40 per night, proving how budget-friendly Sri Lanka can be if you're happy to stay in local homestays and guesthouses.
Cost of Food & Eating Out in Sri Lanka
We didn’t know what to expect from the food in Sri Lanka, but we were pleasantly surprised. We found the best and cheapest food in the north of the country. We always opted for local restaurants that serve traditional food as western food prices are always inflated.
Breakfast: Coconut roti, hoppers, or dhal curry for £1–£2 ($1.25–$2.50)
Lunch: Fried rice or noodles from £2–£3 ($2.50–$4)
Dinner: Heartier meals like seafood, devilled chicken, or BBQ for £5–£10 ($6–$12.50) Coffee: Good coffee in a shop can cost £2-£3
You can easily eat well for under £10 a day per person if you stick to local food.
How Much We Spent on Food in Sri Lanka
Over 59 days, we spent a total of £668.36 / $842.13 / €808.72 on food.
That works out to about £11.32 / $14.27 / €13.71 per day as a couple, or just over £5.50 each.
Getting Around Sri Lanka: Transport Options & Costs
Sri Lanka is a small country with surprisingly good transport links. You’ve got buses, trains, and local tuk tuks, plus the option of chartered flights. But honestly, the best way to travel around Sri Lanka (in our opinion) is to rent your own tuk tuk.
It gave us the freedom to explore at our own pace, stop at some off-the-beaten-track adventures, drive past wild elephants, connect with locals and explore every nook and cranny of the country. You can hire a tuk tuk for a few days, a week or a month and we think it's 100% worth it!
Public Transport
Buses - Very cheap and an experience, with music blaring and ‘crazy’ drivers. Buses rarely cost more than a couple of quid.
Trains - We got a train from Colombo and Koggala and it was an experience! We were packed in like sardines and everyone was singing. We had ended up in 3rd class by accident, but it’s now one of our most memorable moments. Train ticket costs vary due to class, we paid £1.25 ($1.60) each for the train.
Cinnamon Air Flight - If you want to travel in luxury or treat yourself you can fly all over the country with Cinnamon Air. Flights start from around £200 ($250)
Local Tuk Tuks - Once you’ve arrived in your chosen Sri Lankan towns one of the most popular ways to get around is a tuk tuk taxi. These are often cheap, but make sure you agree on a price before you get in!
How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Tuk Tuk in Sri Lanka?
Hiring a tuk tuk is hands-down our top tip for travelling Sri Lanka. We used TukTuk Rental and had an amazing experience exploring the country on our own terms.
You can rent for just a few days or for months and the longer you rent, the cheaper it gets. Prices also depend on what model you choose, manual, electric, convertible etc…
Most people (us included) opt for a regular tuk tuk which costs:
2-13 Days: $22/day
14-22 Day: $20/day
23-38 days - $18/day
39-55days - $16/day
56-365 days - $14/day
The other cost of driving a tuk tuk is petrol. Each time we filled up our little red machine it cost around £4 and we drove a lot! We drove around 2,000 miles and spent £97.33 ($121.25) on petrol. You also need to grease the tuk tuk every 1,000 miles, but this only costs £5!
How Much We Spent on Transport in Sri Lanka
We haven’t included flights in and out of the country as these vary depending on where you’re coming from.
Public Transport (trains, buses, Ubers): £18.51
Tuk Tuk Rental (59 days): £826 (at £14/day)
Petrol: £97.33
Greasing: £4.86
Total: £946.70 / $1,172 / €1,126 for 2 months for two people.
Cost of Activities in Sri Lanka
There’s so much to do in Sri Lanka, it’s the reason why we love it so much. From safaris to surfing and white water rafting there’s no shortage of adventure.
Top Activities in Sri Lanka & How Much They Cost
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular activities we did in Sri Lanka, with what we actually paid (prices are for two people.)
Wilpattu Safari - £91.58
Surf Lessons in Arugam Bay - £26.30
Rose Quartz Mountain Hike - £9.44
Dambulla Cave Temple - £10.21
Pidurangala - £5.28
Mirissa Whale Watching - £80
Surf Board Rental in Weligama - £5.41
Overall, we spent a total of £276.18 / $639.15 / €613.78 on activities.
Tip: If you’re on a tight backpackers budget skip the safari. There are so many places you can see these wild animals for free. We share free spots to see elephants, crocodiles and monkey here.
Other Costs of Travelling Sri Lanka (Visas, SIMs and Surprises)
That leaves us with all the other costs that we don’t know where to put, including drone license, visas, sim card etc… Again, all these costs are for both of us.
Sim Cards - £3.66
Drone License - £43.57
Sri Lanka Travel Visa Cost - £79.88
Sri Lanka Visa Extension - £160.99
Laundry - £17.37
Souvenirs - £32.60
New Phone Screens & New Laptop Charger - £45
Random - £12.84
Our miscellaneous costs came to a total of £395.91 / $498.85 / €479.05, this was mainly visa fees, our drone license and getting our phones fixed due to water damage! Just a reminder of why it is always important to travel with an emergency fund… just in case.
How Much We Spent Travelling Sri Lanka for 2 Months
Our grand total for 59 days in Sri Lanka, including accommodation, food, transport, activities, visas, and all the little extras, came to:
£2,934.05 / $3,695.14 / €3,550.74
That’s just £24.88 / $31.35 / €30.10 per person, per day
Our Top Tips For Travelling Sri Lanka on a Budget
Hire a tuk tuk, at first glance it may seem more expensive but if you’re travelling in a group you can split the costs, avoid over-priced tuk tuk taxis and have the best adventure of your life.
Eat local food! The cheapest food is always the Sri Lankan curries, fried rices and roti. It tastes great and will save you money compared to western burgers, pizzas and pastries.
Stay in local homestays. They are cheap, friendly and often offer laundry services as well as breakfast.
Skip the expensive safari and take a self-guided safari, find more information here.
Final Thoughts
After spending two months travelling around Sri Lanka and seeing the variety it has to offer, we fell in love with the country and actually found it hard to leave! It's one of the most budget friendly countries to travel in the world, and depending on your preference of travel, you can go super budget and hitchhike or you can stay in luxury western style hotels.
Discover The Top Things To Do In Sri Lanka!
While driving around the country for 2-months, we created a Google Pinned Map with all the places we visited and were recommended in Sri Lanka. Grab your Pinned Map today and start planning your Sri Lankan adventure! Don’t miss out...click here to view for free!
 | Surfing Accessories Sri Lanka is a surfers paradise and it's also great for beginners with multiple surf spots being a sandy bottom. Don't forget a zinc sun cream and surf hat!
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 | LifeStraw Filtered Water Bottle Allowing you to fill up water whenever and wherever with peace of mind plus you’re helping the environment! |
 | Binoculars For SafariHome to leopards, elephants and crocodiles having a pair of binoculars is a must to appreciate the wildlife Sri Lanka has to offer! |
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Top Tips For Travelling Sri Lanka
Rent a Tuk Tuk as Transport - This made our trip! Not only did we have complete freedom and flexibility it allowed us to have authentic relationships with locals. Use our code "KandM" for 5% off Tuktuk Rental
Stay in Homestays - Staying in local homestays meant we experienced authentic food and the local way of life. Everyone was extremely friendly and happy to help.
Don’t Forget the North - Many tourists stick to the south coast but if you have time explore places such as Anuradhapura, Trincomalee and Arugam bay!
Embrace The Chaos and get stuck in, the locals are friendly and love to help and share information about their home!
Travel Tools To Help You Plan
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Thank you for reading and enjoy your Sri Lankan adventure. Reach out to us over on Instagram @KateandMikesTravels. We always love to hear from people who read our blogs!
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