Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $468 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gampaha

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $468 in Gampaha, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Gampaha $468

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $745 in Gampaha, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Gampaha $745

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,023 in Gampaha, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Gampaha $1,023

Budapest costs about 252% more than Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Gampaha is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$1.87 LKR 623

628.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$18.38 LKR 6,111

229.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$5.35 LKR 1,779

87.29%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$1.24 LKR 413

168.55%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.57 LKR 191

271.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.25 LKR 82.7

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.03 LKR 676

77.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.07 LKR 1,022

16.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.62 LKR 540

-30.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.41 LKR 135

370.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.80 LKR 267

211.25%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.27 LKR 421

210.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.51 LKR 5,158

-27.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$3.98 LKR 1,323

69.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.62 LKR 2,533

89.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.69 LKR 2,225

-72.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.86 LKR 288

137.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.13 LKR 1,372

-44.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.33 LKR 442

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.04 LKR 346

-9.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.82 LKR 273

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.22 LKR 404

35.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.42 LKR 140

61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$10.14 LKR 3,371

-22.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.68 LKR 4,549

-55.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.97 LKR 655

-34.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.91 LKR 968

-30.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.37 LKR 124

808.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.34 LKR 112

302.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$0.88 LKR 293

2168.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.10 LKR 367

69.09%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$43.8K LKR 14.6M

-34.96%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$46.5K LKR 15.5M

-28.26%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

206.87%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.15 LKR 1,381

468.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$21.00 LKR 6,983

14.86%

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

$4.55 LKR 1,512

130.33%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.59 LKR 13.5K

1440.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

14.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$17.97 LKR 5,975

467.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.54 LKR 5,831

147.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$78.7 LKR 26.2K

39.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$42.21 LKR 14.0K

185.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

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 Gampaha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Gampaha

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Gampaha

$237 50.8% 8.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Gampaha

$83 17.8% 63.2% $143

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Gampaha

$66 14% 70.2% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Gampaha

$70 15.1% 58.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Gampaha

$9.1 * 1.9% 90% $82

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Gampaha

$2.1 * 0.4% 95.3% $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 $18 in Gampaha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $237 – making Gampaha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

11:36 11:36 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

20,000

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Gampaha 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 252%, 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 $702 in Gampaha. 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 $18 in Gampaha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Gampaha, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Gampaha 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 $468 in Gampaha to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.