Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Kegalle

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $594 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kegalle
Learn more

Kegalle Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Kegalle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Kegalle

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $594 in Kegalle.

Bucharest $1,340
Kegalle $594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $865 in Kegalle.

Bucharest $2,037
Kegalle $865

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,136 in Kegalle.

Bucharest $2,734
Kegalle $1,136

Living in Bucharest is roughly 126% more expensive than in Kegalle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Kegalle 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.05 LKR 1,009

375.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.54 LKR 8,130

136.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.47 LKR 2,474

0.13%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.44 LKR 810

40.98%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.47 LKR 155

404.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.27 LKR 90.0

751.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.23 LKR 738

65.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.06 LKR 1,014

35.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.56 LKR 515

7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.47 LKR 155

191.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.67 LKR 224

156.72%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.60 LKR 528

127.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.02 LKR 4,643

-35.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.83 LKR 1,599

41.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.37 LKR 2,440

62.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$6.08 LKR 2,013

-79.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.81 LKR 270

101.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.35 LKR 1,442

-63.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.23 LKR 409

106.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.87 LKR 289

-9.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.77 LKR 254

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.37 LKR 123

135.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.43 LKR 142

130.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$9.79 LKR 3,242

-35.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$12.70 LKR 4,208

-51.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.95 LKR 646

-38.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.68 LKR 889

-41.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.59 LKR 194

45.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

$7.43 LKR 2,461

183.98%

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 114

71.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.87 LKR 287

639.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.37 LKR 455

43.07%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$37.3K LKR 12.4M

-22.29%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

-27.67%

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

$196 RON 927

$59.7 LKR 19.8K

228.40%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$4.31 LKR 1,428

86.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$21.15 LKR 7,005

-55.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$19.26 LKR 6,381

160.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$15.06 LKR 4,988

68.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.48 LKR 1,485

81.92%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$38.17 LKR 12.6K

1545.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,222 LKR 404.7K

1052.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$18.04 LKR 5,976

396.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$15.02 LKR 4,975

155.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$45.07 LKR 14.9K

75.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$41.44 LKR 13.7K

118.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$119 LKR 39.4K

470.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$91.2 LKR 30.2K

391.36%

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

$181 LKR 59.9K

635.13%

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 Kegalle: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Kegalle

$91 15.4% 79.6% $357

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kegalle

$96 16.2% 57.2% $129

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Kegalle

$228 38.3% 1.2% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Kegalle

$85 14.3% 60.1% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Kegalle

$54 9.1% 59.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Kegalle

$28 4.8% 57.6% $38

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Kegalle

$12 2% 58% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bucharest and $119 in Kegalle. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 635% 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 Kegalle. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $228, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Kegalle

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

00:56 12:56 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

17,900

💱 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

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Between locations

Bucharest Kegalle 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Kegalle

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 Kegalle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Kegalle differ by about 126% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $594 including rent). Kegalle is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 635% 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 $119 in Kegalle. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,340 per month in Bucharest versus $594 in Kegalle – a 126% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kegalle runs roughly 184% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $594 in Kegalle versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kegalle but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Kegalle 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 Kegalle 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 Kegalle gentler on the wallet – expenses run 126% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.