Dont want to carry too much or too little. Whats the average cash people carry when travelling around Sri Lanka?
My rule was to always have enough for one day of expenses plus a bit extra. So I carried about 6000 to 8000 rupees. If I had a day trip or long travel planned I’d carry more. I used my card in Colombo and Galle but in smaller towns I often found the card machine was out of order. Better to have cash than waste time hunting for an ATM.
I kept about 7000 rupees per day when moving between towns. It was enough for transport, food, and some shopping. I withdrew around 25 000 rupees at a time and stored extra in my backpack locker at the hostel. Sri Lanka is affordable but card acceptance is hit or miss outside the cities so I didn’t want to be stuck without cash.
I carried around 5000 rupees in small notes and topped up every few days. Most of my accommodation was prepaid online and I used PickMe in Colombo with my card. But for buses, snacks, local tips, and small restaurants, cash was essential. In places like Sigiriya and Dambulla the card machines didn’t work half the time so it helped having enough cash ready.
I usually kept about 8000 to 10 000 rupees on me each day. That covered food, tuk tuks, entry tickets, and small shopping. I paid for hotels and bigger expenses by card. In remote places like Ella or Anuradhapura I carried a bit more just in case the ATMs were down. I split the cash between my wallet and a small pouch in my bag.