🇱🇰 Sri Lanka or 🇲🇾 Malaysia
And what the world thinks
🇲🇾 Malaysia leads by 5 votes.
Which one, honestly
Sri Lanka leads on the sea. Malaysia leads on cities and getting around.
A normal day costs about $70 in Sri Lanka and $75 in Malaysia.
Side by side
- 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka🇲🇾 Malaysia
- Dec to MarBest monthsJan to Mar
- $70A normal day$75
- 11h to ColomboNonstop from London13h to Kuala Lumpur
- ExceptionalBeaches and seaVery good
- Not the drawCities and cultureVery good
- ExceptionalFoodExceptional
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- ExceptionalValue for moneyExceptional
- GoodEasy to get aroundVery good
- A car with driver is the norm, and the hill country train is worth a slow dayGetting aroundCheap flights, good trains and buses, one of the easiest countries in Asia
- The southwest in May and June, and the east from October to DecemberWhen to avoidThe east coast islands from November to February, when most of them close
Pick by what you want
🇱🇰 Choose Sri Lanka if
you want beaches, tea mountains, safari and ruins inside one small island, on a very small budget.
🇲🇾 Choose Malaysia if
you want Thailand's food and beaches with a fraction of the crowds, and everything running slightly more smoothly.
Full Sri Lanka guide →Full Malaysia guide →
Compare something else
Written and checked by hand. Nothing here about visas or entry rules: those change often and depend on your passport, so check an official source.