Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Badulla and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $543 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
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Badulla Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$543

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Badulla and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Badulla and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $543 in Badulla versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Badulla $543
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $877 in Badulla versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Badulla $877
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,211 in Badulla versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Badulla $1,211
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Badulla costs roughly 59% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Badulla 60% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 LKR 1,287

$14.49 RON 68.6

-73.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.05 LKR 8,298

$58.1 RON 275

-56.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 LKR 2,442

$7.48 RON 35.40

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 844

$3.44 RON 16.29

-25.87%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 LKR 236

$2.37 RON 11.22

-70.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.5

$2.30 RON 10.88

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 735

$3.70 RON 17.51

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,015

$4.16 RON 19.69

-26.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 514

$1.67 RON 7.90

-7.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$1.37 RON 6.50

-61.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 LKR 199

$1.72 RON 8.14

-65.12%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$3.64 RON 17.22

-54.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.97 LKR 4,627

$9.08 RON 42.98

53.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.56 LKR 1,178

$6.84 RON 32.35

-47.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 LKR 2,522

$12.00 RON 56.8

-36.50%

Apples (1kg)

$6.65 LKR 2,202

$1.23 RON 5.80

440.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.63 RON 7.73

-46.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 LKR 1,440

$1.57 RON 7.45

177.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 439

$2.54 RON 12.01

-47.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 LKR 329

$0.79 RON 3.75

25.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.77 RON 3.66

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 287

$0.87 RON 4.13

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.99 RON 4.70

-54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.13 LKR 3,354

$6.31 RON 29.86

60.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 LKR 4,221

$6.20 RON 29.34

105.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 628

$1.19 RON 5.63

59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 971

$1.57 RON 7.45

86.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.64 RON 3.05

-40.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.60 RON 2.86

-38.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 293

$6.43 RON 30.43

-86.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 456

$1.96 RON 9.25

-29.59%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.5K LKR 12.1M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

25.93%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.7K LKR 13.5M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

52.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

$196 RON 927

-70.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$4.31 LKR 1,429

$8.04 RON 38.04

-46.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.13 LKR 6,998

$9.35 RON 44.21

125.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,488

$8.15 RON 38.55

-44.91%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$38.34 LKR 12.7K

$628 RON 2,971

-93.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,205 LKR 399.2K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-91.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.44 LKR 6,108

$89.6 RON 424

-79.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.32 LKR 5,405

$38.32 RON 181

-57.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 LKR 26.6K

$79.3 RON 375

1.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.30 LKR 13.7K

$90.4 RON 428

-54.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.1 LKR 25.2K

$678 RON 3,209

-88.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$44.45 LKR 14.7K

$448 RON 2,121

-90.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.9 LKR 29.8K

$725 RON 3,430

-87.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,542 LKR 1.5M

$3,751 RON 17.7K

21.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 LKR 245.8K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-66.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$224 LKR 74.3K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-83.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.75

88.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Badulla: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Badulla

$229 42.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 1.8% $4.1

Eating Out

Badulla

$105 19.3%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 115% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Badulla

$83 15.3%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 156% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Badulla

$70 12.9%

Bucharest

$134 10% 90.4% $64

Accommodation & Living

Badulla

$44 8.2%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 909% $404

Sport & Entertainment

Badulla

$9 * 1.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 641% $58

Getting Around

Badulla

$2.2 * 0.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 1159% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $76.1 in Badulla and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 492% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Badulla vs $58.0 in Bucharest. Groceries flip the comparison at $229 vs $225, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Badulla

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

13:35 1:35 PM

2 h 30 min behind Badulla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Badulla Bucharest 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Badulla
Bucharest

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Badulla vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 147% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 492% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76.1 in Badulla versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $38.34 in Badulla versus $628 in Bucharest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $58.0 in Bucharest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $543 in Badulla versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Badulla is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bucharest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Badulla and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Badulla gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.