Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $464 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Galle
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Galle Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Galle

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 Galle actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $464 in Galle.

Bucharest $1,340
Galle $464

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $756 in Galle.

Bucharest $2,037
Galle $756

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,047 in Galle.

Bucharest $2,734
Galle $1,047

Living in Bucharest is roughly 189% more expensive than in Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Galle 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$1.55 LKR 513

834.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$23.95 LKR 7,934

142.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.37 LKR 2,441

1.49%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.85 LKR 613

85.95%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.67 LKR 223

253.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.25 LKR 82.6

820.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$1.23 LKR 406

200.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$1.48 LKR 489

181.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.64 LKR 545

1.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.57 LKR 189

140.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.82 LKR 270

109.76%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.67 LKR 552

117.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.59 LKR 4,501

-33.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.85 LKR 1,606

41.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.27 LKR 2,408

65.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$6.46 LKR 2,139

-80.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.78 LKR 258

108.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.47 LKR 1,481

-64.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.34 LKR 442

89.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.04 LKR 344

-24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.83 LKR 274

-7.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.95 LKR 314

-8.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.42 LKR 139

135.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.10 LKR 3,346

-37.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$9.07 LKR 3,005

-31.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.95 LKR 645

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.01 LKR 997

-47.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.15 LKR 48.05

473.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.29 LKR 95.1

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.29 LKR 94.8

106.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.88 LKR 292

630.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.32 LKR 438

48.48%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

-20.68%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$39.9K LKR 13.2M

-33.18%

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

$196 RON 927

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

229.39%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$4.33 LKR 1,436

85.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$21.07 LKR 6,978

-55.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.60 LKR 1,523

77.17%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

1550.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,206 LKR 399.3K

1068.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$18.27 LKR 6,052

390.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$16.40 LKR 5,433

133.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$80.5 LKR 26.7K

-1.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$41.26 LKR 13.7K

119.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$305 LKR 101.1K

335.54%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Galle: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Galle

$69 15% 69.2% $156

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Galle

$228 49.1% 1.3% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Galle

$85 18.3% 60.2% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Galle

$70 15.2% 47.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Galle

$9.2 * 2% 86.2% $57

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Galle

$2.3 * 0.5% 91.8% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays 336% 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 $24.00 in Galle. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $228, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

19:23 7:23 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

100,000

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Galle 6,750 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Galle differ by about 189% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $464 including rent). Galle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 336% 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 1% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $464 in Galle – a 189% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $464 in Galle versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Galle but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Galle 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.

Expats usually find Galle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 189% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.