Moving to India from Sri Lanka
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Sri Lanka to India — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Sri Lanka to India, you would find that India is 3.7% cheaper than Sri Lanka overall. A LKR24,752,613 salary in Sri Lanka would need to be roughly ₹3,939,380 in India to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Sri Lanka to India.
What does your salary buy?
LKR24,752,613 → ₹3,939,380
To maintain the same standard of living in India
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 47.1% less
Groceries
pay 51.2% less
Transportation
pay 13.2% less
Housing
pay 40.7% less
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 20.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Sri Lanka to India, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Sri Lanka and India stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Sri Lanka generally does better on safety, though India leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Sri Lanka generally does better on health & wellbeing, though India leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sri Lanka performs better than India across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
India generally does better on infrastructure, though Sri Lanka leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Sri Lanka generally does better on employment & economy, though India leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Sri Lanka generally does better on family life, though India leads in education spending.
Data: Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Colombo | Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/73°F (31°/23°C) | 76°/52°F (25°/11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/77°F (31°/25°C) | 101°/78°F (38°/25°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/77°F (30°/25°C) | 93°/79°F (34°/26°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 86°/74°F (30°/23°C) | 82°/56°F (28°/14°C) |
View all months
| Month | Colombo | Delhi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88°/72°F (30.9°/22.3°C) | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) |
| Feb | 88°/73°F (31.2°/22.6°C) | 75°/51°F (23.7°/10.3°C) |
| Mar | 89°/75°F (31.7°/23.7°C) | 85°/60°F (29.6°/15.4°C) |
| Apr | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.6°C) | 97°/71°F (36.0°/21.5°C) |
| May | 88°/78°F (31.1°/25.5°C) | 104°/79°F (39.8°/26.2°C) |
| Jun | 87°/78°F (30.4°/25.5°C) | 103°/83°F (39.4°/28.3°C) |
| Jul | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.2°C) | 95°/81°F (35.2°/27.0°C) |
| Aug | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.1°C) | 92°/79°F (33.6°/26.2°C) |
| Sep | 86°/77°F (30.2°/24.8°C) | 93°/76°F (34.0°/24.7°C) |
| Oct | 86°/75°F (30.0°/24.0°C) | 91°/67°F (32.9°/19.4°C) |
| Nov | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.2°C) | 82°/55°F (28.0°/12.8°C) |
| Dec | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.8°C) | 73°/47°F (22.7°/8.4°C) |
Data:
National Meteorological Centre,
India Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sri Lanka and India. To live, work, or study long-term in India, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check India's immigration authority.
Sri Lanka passport holder visiting India
Visa Online (e-Visa)
India passport holder visiting Sri Lanka
Visa on ArrivalData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in India than Sri Lanka?
Generally yes: India runs about 45% cheaper than Sri Lanka on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to India?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a LKR24,752,613 comparable salary, that's around ₹984,845 in India for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from India?
With 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, India can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Sri Lanka and India.
Is India safe for expats?
Sri Lanka generally does better on safety, though India leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in India is 2.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.4 in Sri Lanka.
How is healthcare in India compared to Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka generally does better on health & wellbeing, though India leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people in India, compared to 11.9 in Sri Lanka. India scores 63 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sri Lanka: 67).
What's the weather like in India compared to Sri Lanka?
The average high temperature in Delhi is 88°F, compared to 87°F in Colombo. Delhi receives around 28.2 in of rainfall per year, while Colombo gets 99.4 in.
What language do they speak in India?
The official languages in India are English, Hindi and Tamil. In Sri Lanka, the official languages are Sinhala and Tamil.
