Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Weligama

For one person, living is cheaper in Weligama: $505 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 Weligama
Learn more

Weligama Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Weligama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Weligama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,340 in Bucharest versus $505 in Weligama.

Bucharest $1,340
Weligama $505

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Bucharest versus $819 in Weligama.

Bucharest $2,037
Weligama $819

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,734 in Bucharest versus $1,132 in Weligama.

Bucharest $2,734
Weligama $1,132

Living in Bucharest is roughly 166% more expensive than in Weligama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.49 RON 68.6

$3.86 LKR 1,280

275.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 RON 275

$24.42 LKR 8,089

137.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$7.42 LKR 2,457

0.81%

Cappuccino

$3.44 RON 16.29

$2.44 LKR 807

40.98%

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

$2.37 RON 11.22

$0.67 LKR 220

253.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RON 10.88

$0.25 LKR 82.4

820.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

$2.24 LKR 741

65.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

$3.04 LKR 1,008

36.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 7.90

$1.57 LKR 519

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 RON 6.50

$0.58 LKR 191

136.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$0.76 LKR 251

126.32%

Eggs

$3.64 RON 17.22

$1.65 LKR 547

120.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 RON 42.98

$13.70 LKR 4,537

-33.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.84 RON 32.35

$5.00 LKR 1,657

36.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.00 RON 56.8

$7.40 LKR 2,450

62.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$6.75 LKR 2,235

-81.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$0.87 LKR 288

87.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.45

$4.36 LKR 1,444

-63.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RON 12.01

$1.31 LKR 435

93.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.00 LKR 330

-21.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.66

$0.83 LKR 273

-7.23%

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 141

130.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 RON 29.86

$10.25 LKR 3,394

-38.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

$13.09 LKR 4,334

-52.64%

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

$3.01 LKR 996

-47.84%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

72.97%

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

$0.94 LKR 311

584.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.25

$1.38 LKR 456

42.03%

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

$29.0K RON 137.2K

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

-20.10%

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

$26.6K RON 126.0K

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

-33.71%

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

$196 RON 927

$57.9 LKR 19.2K

238.62%

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

$8.04 RON 38.04

$4.32 LKR 1,432

86.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.35 RON 44.21

$20.48 LKR 6,783

-54.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 RON 238

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

$4.56 LKR 1,511

78.73%

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

$628 RON 2,971

$37.79 LKR 12.5K

1561.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K RON 66.6K

$1,230 LKR 407.4K

1044.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 RON 424

$17.77 LKR 5,885

404.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.32 RON 181

$16.70 LKR 5,532

129.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 RON 375

$79.3 LKR 26.3K

0.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.4 RON 428

$41.75 LKR 13.8K

116.48%

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 Weligama: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$448 33.5%

Weligama

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Weligama

$103 20.5% 54.1% $122

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$225 16.8%

Weligama

$238 47.1% 5.6% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$213 15.9%

Weligama

$83 16.4% 61.2% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$134 10%

Weligama

$70 13.9% 47.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Weligama

$9.1 * 1.8% 86.3% $57

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Weligama

$2.1 * 0.4% 92.5% $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 Weligama. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $238, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇰 Weligama

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

09:39 9:39 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

20,000

💱 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 Weligama 6,770 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Weligama

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 Weligama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Weligama differ by about 166% in total monthly costs ($1,340 vs $505 including rent). Weligama 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 $757 in Weligama 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 $505 in Weligama – a 166% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $505 in Weligama versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Weligama but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Weligama 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 Weligama 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 Weligama gentler on the wallet – expenses run 166% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.