Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $713 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Bucharest $1,340
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $1,101 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Bucharest $2,037
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,101

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,490 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.

Bucharest $2,734
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,490

Living in Bucharest is roughly 88% more expensive than in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bucharest 1% lower, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$4.32 LKR 1,430

235.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.52 LKR 8,122

136.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.48 LKR 2,478

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.46 LKR 815

39.84%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.68 LKR 225

248.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.27 LKR 90.2

751.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.17 LKR 719

70.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$2.95 LKR 976

41.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.33 LKR 440

25.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.53 LKR 175

158.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.73 LKR 243

135.62%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.63 LKR 541

123.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.88 LKR 4,599

-34.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$4.47 LKR 1,480

53.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$5.32 LKR 1,762

125.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$6.20 LKR 2,054

-80.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.80 LKR 266

103.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.42 LKR 1,465

-64.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.25 LKR 413

103.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$0.94 LKR 312

-15.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.80 LKR 265

-3.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.13

$0.88 LKR 291

-1.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RON 4.70

$0.47 LKR 155

110.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$8.81 LKR 2,919

-28.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$12.64 LKR 4,185

-50.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

$1.90 LKR 628

-37.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$3.04 LKR 1,006

-48.36%

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

$0.31 LKR 103

106.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.34 LKR 114

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.43 RON 30.43

$0.93 LKR 307

591.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.10 LKR 364

78.18%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

-21.28%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$40.6K LKR 13.5M

-34.43%

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

$196 RON 927

$44.92 LKR 14.9K

336.09%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$4.15 LKR 1,373

93.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$12.29 LKR 4,069

-23.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

$15.01 LKR 4,972

234.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$3.01 LKR 998

170.76%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$37.46 LKR 12.4K

1576.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$909 LKR 301.0K

1449.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$18.47 LKR 6,118

385.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$16.90 LKR 5,597

126.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$80.6 LKR 26.7K

-1.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$41.96 LKR 13.9K

115.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 RON 3,209

$307 LKR 101.7K

120.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 RON 2,121

$228 LKR 75.6K

96.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RON 5,125

$449 LKR 148.6K

141.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 RON 3,430

$383 LKR 126.8K

89.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

$675 LKR 223.5K

456.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

$538 LKR 178.2K

307.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,329 RON 6,290

$307 LKR 101.8K

332.49%

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$228 32% 49.1% $220

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$107 15% 52.5% $118

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.2% 1.3% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$61 8.6% 71.2% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$71 10% 46.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3% 68.4% $45

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2 * 0.3% 92.8% $26

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 $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 332% 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $222 per month, with Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

115,826 Capital

💱 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $713 including rent). Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 332% 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 $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% 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 $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.