Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Polonnaruwa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $506 in Polonnaruwa.

Bucharest $1,340
Polonnaruwa $506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $821 in Polonnaruwa.

Bucharest $2,037
Polonnaruwa $821

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

Bucharest $2,734
Polonnaruwa $1,136

Living in Bucharest is roughly 165% more expensive than in Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Polonnaruwa 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$4.44 LKR 1,472

226.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.02 LKR 7,957

141.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.53 LKR 2,495

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.39 LKR 792

43.93%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.68 LKR 226

248.53%

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

$2.17 LKR 718

70.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.10 LKR 1,026

34.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.56 LKR 516

7.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.57 LKR 190

140.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.76 LKR 250

126.32%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.59 LKR 526

128.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.60 LKR 4,505

-33.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.88 LKR 1,618

40.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.63 LKR 2,527

57.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-81.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.79 LKR 260

106.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.58 LKR 1,517

-65.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.21 LKR 402

109.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.04 LKR 343

-24.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.82 LKR 271

-6.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.87 LKR 288

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.43 LKR 143

130.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.41 LKR 3,447

-39.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$13.63 LKR 4,515

-54.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.98 LKR 657

-39.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.06 LKR 1,014

-48.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.05

$0.40 LKR 133

60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.37 LKR 123

62.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.87 LKR 288

639.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.37 LKR 455

43.07%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

-20.17%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-35.21%

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

$196 RON 927

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

263.70%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$4.26 LKR 1,412

88.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$20.44 LKR 6,770

-54.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.48 LKR 1,485

81.92%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

1552.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

1081.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$17.97 LKR 5,953

398.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$16.63 LKR 5,508

130.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

114.53%

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

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 Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3% 52.2% $118

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1% 5.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5% 63.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9% 47.4% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8% 86.5% $58

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5% 92% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $24.00 in Polonnaruwa. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $238, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

20:26 8:26 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

15,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Bucharest Polonnaruwa 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Polonnaruwa differ by about 165% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $506 including rent). Polonnaruwa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,011 in Bucharest and $759 in Polonnaruwa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Bucharest pay roughly 6% 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa – a 165% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $506 in Polonnaruwa versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polonnaruwa but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 165% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.