Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Dambulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Dambulla: $505 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Dambulla
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Dambulla Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Dambulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Dambulla

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $505 in Dambulla, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Dambulla $505

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $818 in Dambulla, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Dambulla $818

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,131 in Dambulla, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Dambulla $1,131

Budapest costs about 225% more than Dambulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Dambulla is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$3.85 LKR 1,281

258.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$25.00 LKR 8,311

145.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$7.66 LKR 2,546

32.64%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$2.47 LKR 821

30.36%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.67 LKR 224

207.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.27 LKR 89.9

577.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$2.27 LKR 753

58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$2.93 LKR 975

24.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.63 LKR 543

-26.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$0.56 LKR 188

233.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$0.77 LKR 254

207.79%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$1.63 LKR 542

142.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$13.55 LKR 4,504

-17.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$4.92 LKR 1,635

37.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$7.30 LKR 2,428

96.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$6.47 LKR 2,152

-72.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$0.87 LKR 289

142.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$4.33 LKR 1,441

-46.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.32 LKR 440

187.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.01 LKR 336

-1.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.79 LKR 262

24.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$0.87 LKR 289

78.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.43 LKR 142

62.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$10.35 LKR 3,440

-24.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$12.67 LKR 4,214

-52.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.89 LKR 627

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.93 LKR 974

-30.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.07 LKR 23.76

2114.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$0.38 LKR 126

768.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.38 LKR 125

244.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$0.87 LKR 289

2228.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.37 LKR 456

32.85%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

-34.34%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$41.0K LKR 13.6M

-19.25%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$59.8 LKR 19.9K

188.12%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$4.30 LKR 1,431

456.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$20.98 LKR 6,976

11.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$4.57 LKR 1,520

122.76%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$37.27 LKR 12.4K

1510.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$1,199 LKR 398.5K

1300.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$18.35 LKR 6,102

439.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$16.43 LKR 5,462

163.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$78.1 LKR 26.0K

44.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

185.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

12.69

-49.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Dambulla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Dambulla

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Dambulla

$234 46.4% 9.4% $24

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Dambulla

$104 20.7% 52.6% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Dambulla

$85 16.9% 61.2% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Dambulla

$69 13.7% 58.7% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Dambulla

$9.2 * 1.8% 89.7% $80

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Dambulla

$2.5 * 0.5% 94.1% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $25 in Dambulla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $234 – making Dambulla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Dambulla

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

68,800

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Dambulla 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Dambulla

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 Dambulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 225%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,457 per month in Budapest and $757 in Dambulla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $25 in Dambulla. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dambulla, where all-in costs run around $505, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Dambulla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $505 in Dambulla to $1,638 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.