Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Galle

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $510 a month against $1,647 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 Galle
Learn more

Galle Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Galle

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $510 in Galle, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Galle $510

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $829 in Galle, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Galle $829

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,148 in Galle, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Galle $1,148

Budapest costs about 223% more than Galle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Galle is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$3.71 LKR 1,232

267.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$25.23 LKR 8,390

140.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$7.43 LKR 2,471

34.86%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.55 LKR 847

30.59%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.73 LKR 242

190.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.25 LKR 83.2

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.17 LKR 720

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.98 LKR 992

20.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.64 LKR 546

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.57 LKR 190

238.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.81 LKR 268

207.41%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$1.64 LKR 547

140.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$15.40 LKR 5,120

-26.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$5.11 LKR 1,700

31.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$7.40 LKR 2,461

95.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$6.43 LKR 2,139

-71.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.82 LKR 272

148.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$4.22 LKR 1,404

-45.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$1.32 LKR 437

202.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.05 LKR 348

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.81 LKR 271

25.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.25 LKR 416

32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.45 LKR 151

51.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$10.31 LKR 3,427

-24.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$13.53 LKR 4,498

-55.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.95 LKR 648

-33.85%

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

$0.16 LKR 52.4

837.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.29 LKR 95.8

1058.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.31 LKR 104

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$0.87 LKR 290

2194.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.33 LKR 441

39.85%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-33.41%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

-27.05%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

217.31%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$4.09 LKR 1,360

476.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$21.08 LKR 7,009

14.42%

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

$4.64 LKR 1,544

125.86%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$39.64 LKR 13.2K

1476.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

13.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$18.17 LKR 6,040

461.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$17.46 LKR 5,807

148.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$42.00 LKR 14.0K

187.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

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 557.5K

$316 LKR 105.1K

445.69%

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 Galle: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Galle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Galle

$244 47.8% 6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Galle

$81 15.9% 64% $145

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Galle

$103 20.2% 53.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Galle

$70 13.7% 58.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Galle

$9.3 * 1.8% 89.7% $81

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Galle

$2.5 * 0.5% 94.3% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Budapest are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $25 in Galle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $244 – making Galle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Galle

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 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 = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 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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Between locations

Budapest Galle 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Galle

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 Galle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 223%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,471 per month in Budapest and $766 in Galle. 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 Galle. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Galle, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Galle it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Galle costs $510 versus $1,647 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Galle. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.