Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Homagama

For one person, living is cheaper in Homagama: $487 a month against $1,340 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
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Homagama
Learn more

Homagama Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Homagama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Homagama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $487 in Homagama.

Bucharest $1,340
Homagama $487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $744 in Homagama.

Bucharest $2,037
Homagama $744

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,000 in Homagama.

Bucharest $2,734
Homagama $1,000

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Homagama 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$4.36 LKR 1,444

232.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.11 LKR 7,985

140.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.76 LKR 2,572

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.42 LKR 801

42.15%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.71 LKR 236

233.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.25 LKR 82.1

820.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.27 LKR 752

63.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.09 LKR 1,023

34.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$0.88 LKR 291

89.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.56 LKR 187

144.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.52 LKR 172

230.77%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.60 LKR 530

127.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.94 LKR 4,619

-34.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$3.33 LKR 1,103

105.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.32 LKR 2,425

63.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$6.65 LKR 2,202

-81.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.78 LKR 259

108.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.44 LKR 1,470

-64.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.22 LKR 406

108.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.02 LKR 339

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.74 LKR 246

4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.93 LKR 307

-6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.44 LKR 145

125.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.15 LKR 3,363

-37.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$12.30 LKR 4,074

-49.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.83 LKR 606

-34.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.17 LKR 720

-27.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.47 LKR 154

82.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.35 LKR 115

82.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.35 LKR 115

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.87 LKR 288

639.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.13 LKR 375

73.45%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$13.8K LKR 4.6M

109.52%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$21.2K LKR 7.0M

25.88%

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

$196 RON 927

$20.90 LKR 6,922

837.27%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$3.10 LKR 1,027

159.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$20.63 LKR 6,833

-54.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$7.48 LKR 2,477

571.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.46 LKR 1,478

82.74%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$37.86 LKR 12.5K

1558.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,189 LKR 393.8K

1084.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$17.98 LKR 5,954

398.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$12.20 LKR 4,041

214.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$24.40 LKR 8,082

224.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$27.53 LKR 9,117

228.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$136 LKR 45.1K

398.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$60.0 LKR 19.9K

647.82%

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

$150 LKR 49.6K

786.88%

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 Homagama: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Homagama

$60 12.3% 86.6% $388

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Homagama

$109 22.3% 51.8% $117

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Homagama

$217 44.5% 3.7% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Homagama

$45 9.2% 79.1% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Homagama

$37 7.6% 72.4% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Homagama

$16 3.4% 75.3% $50

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Homagama

$4 * 0.8% 86% $24

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 $678 in Bucharest and $136 in Homagama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 787% 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 Homagama for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $217 per month, with Homagama cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Homagama

🕒 Local time

14:44 2:44 PM

17:14 5:14 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

25,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Homagama 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Homagama

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 Homagama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Homagama differ by about 175% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $487 including rent). Homagama is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 787% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bucharest versus $136 in Homagama. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $487 in Homagama – a 175% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $487 in Homagama versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Homagama but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Homagama 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 Homagama 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 Homagama 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.