Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
Learn more

Bentota Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,647 in Budapest versus $777 in Bentota.

Budapest $1,647
Bentota $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,567 in Budapest versus $896 in Bentota.

Budapest $2,567
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,488 in Budapest versus $1,014 in Bentota.

Budapest $3,488
Bentota $1,014

Living in Budapest is roughly 112% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 22% above, Bentota is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.78 LKR 1,257

260.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$12.00 LKR 3,991

405.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.36 LKR 2,446

36.14%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.47 LKR 822

34.82%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.71 LKR 236

198.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.25 LKR 83.0

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.19 LKR 728

64.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.10 LKR 1,030

15.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.57 LKR 523

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.52 LKR 174

271.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.80 LKR 267

211.25%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.65 LKR 549

138.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.18 LKR 5,047

-25.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$3.36 LKR 1,118

100.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$4.47 LKR 1,487

223.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.76 LKR 2,246

-72.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.76 LKR 254

168.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.08 LKR 1,355

-43.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$0.86 LKR 287

363.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.07 LKR 357

-12.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.82 LKR 274

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.21 LKR 402

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.42 LKR 139

61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$10.06 LKR 3,346

-22.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.69 LKR 4,552

-56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.90 LKR 630

-32.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.87 LKR 956

-29.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.19 LKR 62.4

689.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.38 LKR 126

784.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.29 LKR 96.3

372.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$0.93 LKR 308

2046.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.39 LKR 461

33.81%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-35.26%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

-25.80%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

210.67%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$2.32 LKR 770

916.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$8.88 LKR 2,951

171.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$4.59 LKR 1,525

128.32%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

1437.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

12.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$18.34 LKR 6,099

456.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.33 LKR 5,761

150.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

41.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

190.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$546 LKR 181.6K

54.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$302 LKR 100.3K

111.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,555 Ft 1.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,898 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,724 Ft 559.0K

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 Bentota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Bentota

$302 38.8% 52.7% $337

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Bentota

$223 28.7% 14.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Bentota

$69 8.8% 69.7% $157

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Bentota

$103 13.2% 53.2% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Bentota

$70 9% 58.8% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2% 89.9% $81

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3% 94% $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 $546 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61 in Budapest vs $12 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $223 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

37,000

💱 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Budapest Bentota 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 53% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,471 in Budapest and $1,166 in Bentota 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $845 in Budapest versus $546 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,647 per month in Budapest versus $777 in Bentota – Bentota is about 53% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $1,647 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.