Sri Lanka has always been on my travel radar because of its accessibility from the UAE and because everyone kept telling me how "cheap" it is as a destination. When we finally visited in May 2026, one thing I was particularly curious about was the actual Sri Lanka travel cost and how affordable the country would really be.
For 8 days, we traveled from Sigiriya to Trincomalee and finally to Colombo, staying in comfortable hotels, eating mostly in restaurants and cafes, using public transportation whenever practical, and spending quite a bit on activities. We weren't exactly backpacking on the cheapest possible budget, but we also weren't traveling luxuriously.
So, how much did we actually spend?
In this post, I'm breaking down our actual expenses on flights, accommodation, transportation, food, activities, and everything in between. These are our real expenses from our May 2026 trip, so hopefully they can give you a realistic idea of how much to budget for a similar Sri Lanka itinerary.
๐ก Planning your own Sri Lanka trip? Start with these guides:
- Sri Lanka Travel for 8 Days in May 2026
- Sri Lanka ETA Application Guide: How to Apply Online for a Tourist Visa (Step-by-Step)
- Pidurangala Rock Hiking Guide: Sunrise Hike for the Best Sigiriya Rock View
- How to Travel from Sigiriya to Trincomalee by Public Bus (Sri Lanka)
- 4 Days in Trincomalee: Things We Did, Saw & Ate in Sri Lanka's East Coast
Our Sri Lanka Trip at a Glance
- Travel Period: May 2026
- Trip Duration: 8 Days
- Travelers: 2 adults
- Route: Sigiriya โ Trincomalee โ Colombo
- Travel Style: Budget-conscious, mid-range
- Accommodation: Comfortable hotels and resorts
- Transportation: Public buses, tuk-tuks, PickMe, and occasional private transfers
- Major Activities: Pidurangala Rock, Sigiriya Rock, Hurulu Eco Park Elephant Safari, Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, Dolphin Watching & Snorkeling
- Total Spent for Two: ~AED 11,640
- Total (for two) Excluding Flights: ~AED 6,170
- Total (for two) Excluding Flights & Shopping: ~AED 5,790
Before we get into the individual expenses, one important thing to note is that our budget reflects how we personally like to travel. I don't mind taking local buses or tuk-tuks to save money, but we also booked private transfers occasionally for comfort. We were also willing to spend more on activities, comfortable accommodation, and food that we actually wanted to eat.
So, don't treat these numbers as how much you must spend in Sri Lanka. Think of them instead as a real-life reference from two travelers who weren't exactly backpacking, but weren't splurging on luxury either.
How Much Was Our Sri Lanka Travel Cost for 8 Days?
Here's a quick overview of our Sri Lanka travel cost and where our money went.
| Category | Cost for Two | Cost per Person |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | AED 5,473.50 | AED 2,736.75 |
| Visa / ETA | AED 197.28 | AED 197.28 (Me) / AED 0 (my boyfriend) |
| Accommodation | AED 1,999.71 | AED 999.86 |
| Transportation | AED 645.83 | AED 322.92 |
| Activities & Entrance Fees | AED 1,070.94 | AED 535.47 |
| Food & Drinks | AED 1,800.40 | AED 900.20 |
| SIM Cards | AED 56.34 | AED 28.17 |
| Shopping & Souvenirs | AED 382.74 | Varies (mostly mine!) |
| Miscellaneous | AED 16.38 | AED 8.19 |
| Total | AED 11,643.12 | Approximately AED 5,800 budget per person |
Note: These are our actual recorded expenses from the trip. Card expenses are based on the AED amounts charged to our cards, while cash expenses were recorded in Sri Lankan Rupees and converted to AED based on the current exchange rate we received. A few small cash expenses were based on my travel notes and may have minor differences.
Now that we have the overall cost, let's break down where the money actually went.
Flight from UAE to Sri Lanka
For a Dubai to Colombo flight, what we paid was definitely on the expensive side. Unfortunately, we booked our tickets at a time when flights in the Middle East were still quite unstable due to the ongoing regional crisis, with cancellations and higher fares affecting our options.
At the time, we didn't want to risk booking an airline that might disrupt our travel plans, so we eventually decided to fly with Emirates. Our flights cost AED 5,473.50 for two people, including a one-time fee from Emirates NBD after I converted the purchase into an installment plan.
Looking at our overall expenses, flights alone consumed almost half of our entire Sri Lanka travel budget!
Visa / ETA Cost
As a Philippine passport holder, I paid AED 197.28 for my Sri Lanka ETA. Meanwhile, my boyfriend traveled on a Russian passport and was eligible for a free ETA during our trip.
โ Read my complete Sri Lanka ETA Application Guide.
Accommodation Costs
For accommodation, we stayed in three different hotels throughout our trip. Here's how much we paid for the rooms alone:
| Destination | Hotel | Nights | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sigiriya | Lion Gate Hotel | 3 | AED 617.00 |
| Trincomalee | Pearl Diamond Resort | 3 | AED 702.00 |
| Colombo | Lake Lodge by Nyne Hotels | 2 | AED 680.71 |
| Total | 8 | AED 1,999.71 |
Both our hotels in Sigiriya and Colombo included breakfast, while our hotel in Trincomalee did not.
Overall, I found the accommodation costs relatively affordable and good value for what we got. Lake Lodge was noticeably more expensive per night since it's a boutique hotel, but it actually ended up being my favorite among the three. I haven't written my review yet, so stay tuned!
Transportation Costs
Apart from our airport transfer upon arrival and a private transfer for our visit to the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, we used public transportation as much as we could. That meant tuk-tuks and buses.
We also tried to book a train from Trincomalee to Colombo. Unfortunately, all the reserved seats were already booked since we were traveling during the Vesak season. We could still buy unreserved tickets, but that meant we might end up standing for a good part of the journey. So, we ended up booking an air-conditioned bus instead, which turned out to be really comfortable.
Here's a summary of our main transportation costs during the trip:
| Transportation | Cost for Two |
|---|---|
| Colombo Airport โ Sigiriya private transfer | LKR 25,000.00 |
| Round-trip tuk-tuk for Pidurangala Rock Hike | LKR 2,000.00 |
| PickMe car + tuk-tuk for Sigiriya Rock Hike | LKR 2,500.00 |
| Private transfer for our visit to Polonnaruwa | LKR 15,000.00 |
| Tuk-tuk + bus from Sigiriya to Trincomalee | LKR 1,890.00 |
| Trincomalee Bus Station โ Hotel by tuk-tuk | LKR 619.71 |
| Pearl Diamond Resort โ Koneswaram Temple by tuk-tuk | LKR 1200.00 |
| Pearl Diamond Resort โ Trincomalee Bus Station by tuk-tuk | LKR 800.00 |
| Bus from Trincomalee โ Colombo | LKR 5,100.00 |
| Colombo Bus Station โ Lake Lodge by tuk-tuk | LKR 850.00 |
| Tuk-tuk to Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque | LKR 400.00 |
| Mall โ Galle Face Green by tuk-tuk | LKR 320.00 |
| Galle Face Green โ Lake Lodge by tuk-tuk | LKR 570.00 |
| Lake Lodge โ Colombo Airport | not recorded |
For our Trincomalee to Colombo bus, we initially paid LKR 1,000 to reserve our seats online, then paid LKR 4,100 directly to the bus driver, bringing the total to LKR 5,100 for two.
I left out a few smaller tuk-tuk rides from the table above, particularly those we took around Trincomalee when we went to the train station to inquire about tickets and a few other errands. These are still included in our overall transportation expenses.
The only fare I wasn't able to account for was our final ride from Lake Lodge to Colombo Airport. I somehow lost my note for this one, so unfortunately, it isn't included in the total.
Tours & Activities
Originally, I thought tours and activities would be our largest expense category. Fortunately, it wasn't.
Then again, we didn't pack our itinerary with activities every single day. Apart from our hikes in Sigiriya and Pidurangala, an elephant safari, a day trip to Polonnaruwa, and a dolphin watching and snorkeling tour in Trincomalee, we spent a good portion of the trip simply relaxing and enjoying the destination.
If you'd like to follow a similar itinerary, here's how much we spent on activities and entrance fees during our trip (transportation costs not included unless stated otherwise):
| Activities | Cost for Two |
|---|---|
| Pidurangala Rock Hike | LKR 2,000.00 |
| Hurulu Eco Park Elephant Safari (including transfers) | LKR 16,500.00 |
| Sigiriya Rock Fortress | LKR 23,520.00 |
| Polonnaruwa Ancient City | LKR 2,000.00 for bike rental & USD 60.00 entrance fee |
| Dolphin Watching & Snorkeling in Trincomalee | LKR 32,000.00 |
Despite having only a handful of activities, we still spent AED 1,070.94 for two people. While transportation and everyday expenses can be quite affordable, some attractions and organized tours can quickly increase your overall budget.
That said, I don't regret spending money on any of these experiences.
If I ever return to Sri Lanka, I'd happily do another safari, perhaps in a different national park next time. I also wouldn't mind going snorkeling again or finally visiting Pigeon Island, which we skipped because of the cost. Better yet, I think I'd love to try scuba diving in Trincomalee if I ever find the time to do it!
Food & Drinks
Surprisingly, food and drinks ended up being our third-largest expense. I won't bore you with every single meal we had, but here are a few figures that should give you a better idea of what we actually spent:
- Total Spent: AED 1,800.40
- Typical meal cost: LKR 4,000โ6,000 for two
- Cheapest meal: LKR 2,400 for two โ simple toast, water, and black coffee
- Most expensive meal: LKR 19,400 for two โ dinner at Table by Nyne
Do note that we mostly ate at nice cafes, fast-food chains like KFC, Burger King, and Taco Bell, hotel or homestay breakfasts, and a couple of fancier dinners in Colombo.
This was partly because I'm a picky eater (oops!). I don't eat vegetables, and both of us have sensitive stomachs. Additionally, we were traumatized by food poisoning in Boracay, so we didn't want to risk ruining this vacation by experimenting too much with food. That's why we mostly stuck to familiar food.
If you're more adventurous than us, you can definitely explore more local restaurants and Sri Lankan dishes, which could bring your average meal cost down quite a bit.
Souvenirs & SIM Card Costs
As a Filipina who grew up with the pasalubong culture, of course I couldn't go home without buying a few souvenirs.
Based on my notes, I spent a total of AED 382.74 on souvenirs, including local tea, chocolates, keychains, magnets, and a few other small trinkets. We also bought a couple of shirts and shorts during the trip, but since those were more personal purchases than souvenirs, I excluded them from this category.
For mobile data, we purchased two Dialog Tourist SIM Cards and spent a total of AED 56.34. Dialog was the provider most frequently recommended to us, and overall, the coverage was reliable throughout our trip in Sigiriya, Trincomalee, and Colombo.
For everyday use such as Google Maps, messaging apps, ride-hailing, and social media, the connection was more than sufficient. However, if you're planning to work remotely or attend video calls, I found the mobile data occasionally a bit unstable. In those situations, I preferred connecting to the hotel's Wi-Fi instead.
You can check the latest tourist SIM plans on the Dialog website.
So, Is Sri Lanka Expensive to Travel?
We all know that the word expensive is subjective. No matter the destination, there will always be ultra-budget backpackers, honeymooners splurging on luxury resorts, soul-searching travelers on retreats, and everyone else in between.
As for us, I would describe our travel style as somewhere in the middle.
We took public buses and tuk-tuks whenever available, but we also spent money on activities we genuinely wanted to experience, comfortable hotels, and food that suited our preferences. We weren't backpacking on the cheapest possible budget, but we weren't traveling luxuriously either.
After spending 8 days in Sri Lanka, I observed that transportation was affordable, accommodation offered good value for money, and everyday expenses were generally reasonable. However, entrance fees at ancient sites and organized tours added up much faster than I anticipated.
Overall, I still consider Sri Lanka an affordable destination, especially once you're already in the country. The most expensive part of our trip was actually the flight from Dubai. At the same time, Sri Lanka still offers something for almost every budget. Whether you're staying in hostels and taking local buses or booking resorts and private transfers, it's entirely possible to shape the trip around the travel style that suits you best.
