Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $487 a month against $1,337 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,337

/mo nomad

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,337 in Bucharest versus $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.

Bucharest $1,337
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,029 in Bucharest versus $790 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.

Bucharest $2,029
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,721 in Bucharest versus $1,093 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia.

Bucharest $2,721
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093

Living in Bucharest is roughly 175% more expensive than in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.45 RON 68.4

$1.49 LKR 494

869.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$25.02 LKR 8,286

132.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 RON 35.65

$7.49 LKR 2,481

0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.45 RON 16.33

$2.54 LKR 840

35.83%

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

$2.46 RON 11.65

$0.73 LKR 240

236.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 RON 10.54

$0.27 LKR 90.3

725.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.76 RON 17.78

$2.22 LKR 736

69.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 RON 19.84

$3.00 LKR 993

39.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$1.62 LKR 537

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 RON 6.13

$0.53 LKR 174

145.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$0.81 LKR 267

109.88%

Eggs

$3.79 RON 17.93

$1.65 LKR 546

129.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.86 RON 41.90

$13.93 LKR 4,614

-36.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.90 RON 32.67

$4.85 LKR 1,606

42.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 RON 57.4

$7.54 LKR 2,496

61.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.17

$6.42 LKR 2,125

-79.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.55

$0.87 LKR 288

83.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.42

$4.37 LKR 1,448

-64.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 RON 12.67

$1.29 LKR 426

107.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 RON 3.82

$1.00 LKR 332

-19.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.73

$0.78 LKR 259

1.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$0.88 LKR 291

3.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RON 4.58

$0.45 LKR 149

115.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 RON 30.34

$10.38 LKR 3,439

-38.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 RON 29.24

$13.03 LKR 4,317

-52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.89 LKR 626

-34.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 RON 7.91

$3.00 LKR 994

-44.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.98 RON 99.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.38 LKR 125

73.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.85

$0.35 LKR 115

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.28

$0.90 LKR 297

587.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.15

$1.38 LKR 457

39.86%

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

$28.7K RON 135.9K

$43.0K LKR 14.2M

-33.14%

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

$26.3K RON 124.6K

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

-34.96%

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

$196 RON 926

$58.3 LKR 19.3K

235.43%

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

$8.49 RON 40.19

$4.28 LKR 1,418

98.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.05 RON 42.84

$20.80 LKR 6,888

-56.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.54 RON 234

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.24 RON 39.01

$4.59 LKR 1,519

79.52%

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

$636 RON 3,007

$38.36 LKR 12.7K

1556.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K RON 69.0K

$1,206 LKR 399.5K

1108.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 419

$18.46 LKR 6,116

379.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.77 RON 183

$16.53 LKR 5,474

134.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.8 RON 373

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.6 RON 428

$42.38 LKR 14.0K

113.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 RON 3,288

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,109

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 RON 5,130

$460 LKR 152.2K

135.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$712 RON 3,368

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,797 RON 18.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,354 RON 6,406

$215 LKR 71.4K

528.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

12.69

-46.81%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$446 33.3%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.9%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$86 17.7% 61.9% $140

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.9%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$236 48.5% 4.7% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$83 17.1% 60.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$133 10%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$70 14.4% 47.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$66 4.9%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$9.2 * 1.9% 86.1% $57

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$2.1 * 0.4% 92.5% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays 529% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $236, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

219,827

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bucharest Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

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

Bucharest vs Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($1,337 vs $487 including rent). Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 529% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,337 per month in Bucharest versus $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia – a 175% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $487 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $1,337 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bucharest and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 175% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.