Tokyo vs Weligama: cost of living for digital nomads

Tokyo, Japan and Weligama, Sri Lanka, line by line from the catalogue: what a month costs, rent, food, coworking, safety and internet. Every figure links back to its source on the city page.

The short version

  • Weligama is about 63% cheaper than Tokyo for a month of nomad living ($1,050 vs $2,800).
  • Rent is the biggest gap: $400 in Weligama against $1,300 in Tokyo.
  • Tokyo scores higher on safety (10/10 vs 8/10).
  • Internet is faster in Tokyo: 230 Mbps typical against 40 Mbps.
  • Tokyo is temperate; Weligama is tropical.

Tokyo wins 2 of the measured lines; Weligama wins 6.

LineTokyoWeligama
Monthly total (USD)$2,800$1,050
Rent$1,300$400
Food$650$300
Transport$120$50
Coworking$200$90
Safety (out of 10)10/108/10
Internet (Mbps)23040
Climatetemperatetropical
City sizemetrosmall
Settingcoastcoast
Nomad score (out of 10)7/108/10

Weligama

Sri Lankan surf-and-nomad town on the south coast — cheap, laid-back, warm year-round.

Compare Tokyo with

Compare Weligama with

Costs are typical monthly figures for one person in USD, from the sources named on each city page; safety and internet are the catalogue's own ratings. Check the city pages for the dates each was last verified.