Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
Learn more

Badulla Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Badulla

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Badulla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Budapest versus $547 in Badulla.

Budapest $1,647
Badulla $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Budapest versus $883 in Badulla.

Budapest $2,567
Badulla $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Budapest versus $1,219 in Badulla.

Budapest $3,488
Badulla $1,219

Living in Budapest is roughly 201% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 22% above, Badulla is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$3.84 LKR 1,275

254.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$24.93 LKR 8,288

143.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$7.54 LKR 2,506

32.89%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.47 LKR 823

34.82%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.68 LKR 227

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.27 LKR 90.5

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.26 LKR 752

59.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$3.02 LKR 1,005

18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.62 LKR 539

-30.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.57 LKR 190

238.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.61 LKR 203

308.20%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$1.65 LKR 548

138.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$15.15 LKR 5,036

-25.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$3.70 LKR 1,230

81.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$7.60 LKR 2,528

90.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$6.61 LKR 2,198

-71.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.89 LKR 296

129.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$4.27 LKR 1,420

-46.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$1.26 LKR 420

216.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.09 LKR 362

-13.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.79 LKR 261

29.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.22 LKR 405

35.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.46 LKR 152

47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$10.15 LKR 3,374

-23.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$13.31 LKR 4,426

-54.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.91 LKR 634

-32.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.85 LKR 947

-29.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.41 LKR 136

719.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.33 LKR 111

315.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$0.87 LKR 288

2194.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.37 LKR 454

35.77%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-33.39%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

-27.59%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

216.80%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$4.32 LKR 1,437

445.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$20.66 LKR 6,870

16.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$4.39 LKR 1,460

138.72%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

1443.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

12.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$18.24 LKR 6,066

459.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$17.37 LKR 5,777

149.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

41.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

192.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

1007.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

1338.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

1254.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

21.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

$747 LKR 248.3K

421.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 557.5K

$222 LKR 73.6K

678.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

12.5

-49.28%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Badulla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Badulla

$44 8.1% 93% $594

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Badulla

$237 43.3% 9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Badulla

$81 14.9% 64% $145

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Badulla

$104 19.1% 52.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Badulla

$69 12.7% 58.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6% 90.3% $82

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Badulla

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.2% $41

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 $845 in Budapest and $76 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays about 7.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $61 in Budapest vs $25 in Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $237 per month, with Badulla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

00:11 12:11 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

110,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Badulla 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Badulla

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

Budapest vs Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is about 67% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Budapest is about 7.8 times higher, 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: $845 in Budapest versus $76 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $625 in Budapest versus $41 in Badulla. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Badulla – a meal for two runs $25 versus $61 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $547 in Badulla versus $1,647 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Badulla but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Badulla 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, Budapest and Badulla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Badulla wins on affordability, Budapest on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.