Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $402 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
Learn more

Negombo Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Negombo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $402 in Negombo.

Bucharest $1,340
Negombo $402

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $649 in Negombo.

Bucharest $2,037
Negombo $649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $897 in Negombo.

Bucharest $2,734
Negombo $897

Living in Bucharest is roughly 234% more expensive than in Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Negombo 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$4.48 LKR 1,483

223.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$16.63 LKR 5,508

249.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.59 LKR 2,516

-1.45%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$1.23 LKR 406

179.67%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.69 LKR 228

243.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.25 LKR 82.5

820.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.15 LKR 712

72.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.95 LKR 978

41.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.57 LKR 521

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.53 LKR 174

158.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.74 LKR 245

132.43%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.64 LKR 543

121.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$14.01 LKR 4,642

-35.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.12 LKR 1,366

66.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$6.00 LKR 1,986

100.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.77 LKR 585

-30.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.69 LKR 229

136.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$2.23 LKR 738

-29.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.19 LKR 395

113.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.73 LKR 242

8.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.81 LKR 267

-4.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.93 LKR 308

-6.45%

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

$10.14 LKR 3,359

-37.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$13.52 LKR 4,480

-54.14%

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

$3.01 LKR 997

-47.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$0.29 LKR 94.9

196.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.38 LKR 125

68.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.37 LKR 124

62.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.90 LKR 297

614.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.00 LKR 332

96.00%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

-22.17%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-34.79%

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

$196 RON 927

$25.65 LKR 8,497

663.70%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$4.21 LKR 1,395

90.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$20.85 LKR 6,908

-55.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$15.27 LKR 5,059

228.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

$9.07 LKR 3,004

179.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$2.45 LKR 813

232.65%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$37.97 LKR 12.6K

1553.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$446 LKR 147.9K

3054.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$8.82 LKR 2,920

915.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$16.87 LKR 5,586

127.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$36.78 LKR 12.2K

115.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$24.22 LKR 8,023

273.16%

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

$180 LKR 59.7K

637.46%

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 Negombo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Negombo

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Negombo

$94 23.4% 58.4% $131

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Negombo

$194 48.4% 13.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Negombo

$51 12.6% 76.2% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Negombo

$39 9.7% 70.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Negombo

$20 5% 69.7% $46

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.8% 88% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Bucharest pays 637% 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 $17.00 in Negombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $194 per month, with Negombo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Negombo

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

17:42 5:42 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

142,449

💱 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 Negombo 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Negombo

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 Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Negombo differ by about 234% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $402 including rent). Negombo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 637% higher in Bucharest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% 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 $402 in Negombo – a 234% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $402 in Negombo versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Negombo but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Negombo 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 Negombo 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 Negombo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 234% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.