Sri Lanka currency & money

Cash & ATMs

ATMs are common in towns and at the airport. Rupees cannot easily be bought abroad, so withdraw or exchange on arrival.

Cards

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted in hotels; smaller places are cash only. Tell your bank before you travel.

Tipping

Tips are appreciated and part of many people’s income.

Sri Lanka currency: the rupee

The Sri Lanka currency is the Sri Lankan rupee, written LKR or Rs. Notes come in 20, 50, 100, 500, 1,000 and 5,000 rupees, and coins are used for small change. In autumn 2026 one pound bought roughly 450 rupees and one US dollar about 335 rupees – check your banking app for the current rate. Rupees are hard to buy abroad and you do not need to: exchange or withdraw money on arrival.

How much is 1,000 rupees?

At about 450 rupees to the pound, 1,000 rupees is roughly £2.20 or US$3. 5,000 rupees is about £11 or US$15, and 10,000 rupees about £22 or US$30. A useful rule of thumb for British travellers: divide by 500 and you will be slightly under the real amount in pounds.

Cash or card?

Money in Sri Lanka still means cash for most small purchases. Visa and Mastercard work in hotels, larger restaurants and shops, but markets, tuk-tuks, roadside stalls and small temples are cash only. Keep small notes – vendors often cannot change a 5,000-rupee note. On our tours, hotels, entrance fees and transport are already paid, so you mainly need cash for lunches, drinks, snacks and tips: around £15–20 per person per day is enough for most guests.

ATMs and the one tip that saves money

ATMs are found in every town and at the airport. Most charge a fixed fee per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts less often. The most important tip: when the machine asks whether you want to be charged in pounds, dollars or rupees, always choose rupees. Letting the ATM convert for you almost always means a worse rate. The same applies when you pay by card in a hotel or shop.

Exchanging money

Exchange counters in the arrivals hall at Colombo airport offer fair rates, as do banks in town. Bring clean, undamaged notes – torn or marked notes are often refused. Keep your receipts, which let you change leftover rupees back when you leave.

Tipping in Sri Lanka: a practical guide

Tipping in Sri Lanka is customary and an important part of income for many people in tourism. In restaurants a 10% service charge is often included; if it is not, about 10% is appropriate. Hotel porters usually get 100–200 rupees and housekeeping 200–500 rupees per day. Safari jeep drivers are tipped around 500–1,000 rupees per drive. At temples, a small donation for shoe-minding is welcome. For your driver-guide, around US$10–15 per day is common, and we send guidelines with your travel documents.

Paying for your tour

With Ceylonreise you pay only a 20 % deposit when you book and the balance when you arrive in Sri Lanka, so on the road you only deal with small everyday spending.

Prices in rupees: what things cost

As a rough guide in autumn 2026: tea at a roadside stall costs 100–200 rupees, rice and curry at a local place 1,000–2,000 rupees, a large bottle of water 150–250 rupees, a king coconut 150–300 rupees, a short tuk-tuk ride in town 400–1,000 rupees and a beer in a restaurant 1,000–1,800 rupees. Prices are higher in tourist areas and hotels.

Paying by card: what to know

Visa and Mastercard are accepted in hotels, larger restaurants and shops; American Express less often. Some shops add a surcharge of two to three per cent for card payments, so ask first. Contactless payment works in Colombo and many hotels, rarely in the countryside. A credit card without foreign transaction fees saves noticeable money on a longer trip.

Changing money back

Change leftover rupees at the airport before passport control – you will need your exchange receipts. After security many shops only accept cards or foreign currency. A few notes as a souvenir are, of course, fine.

Keeping your money safe

Bring two cards from different banks and keep them separately. Tell your bank before you travel so your card is not blocked. Use ATMs inside banks or shopping centres rather than on the street. Leave valuables and larger amounts of cash in the hotel safe, and carry only what you need for the day.

Small notes, big help

A simple everyday tip: whenever you change money or settle a bill at hotel reception, ask for some smaller notes. You will constantly need 100 and 500-rupee notes – for tea at the roadside, shoe-minding at temples, a snack on the train or a tip for the porter. With a 5,000-rupee note you will often meet a vendor who cannot give change. A separate small purse for small notes saves a lot of rummaging and makes paying on the road much easier.

Daily budget on tour

Because hotels, transport and entrance fees are already covered on our tours, most guests spend surprisingly little cash. A typical day might include a rice and curry lunch, a few drinks, a king coconut, a snack and a couple of tips – usually well within £15–20 per person. Shopping for tea, spices or crafts comes on top, and many of those shops accept cards.

Frequently asked questions