Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $513 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 Hikkaduwa
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Hikkaduwa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Hikkaduwa

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $513 in Hikkaduwa, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Hikkaduwa $513

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $830 in Hikkaduwa, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Hikkaduwa $830

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,147 in Hikkaduwa, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Hikkaduwa $1,147

Budapest costs about 221% more than Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.79 LKR 1,259

259.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$24.42 LKR 8,120

148.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.43 LKR 2,472

34.86%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.52 LKR 837

32.14%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.72 LKR 241

194.44%

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

$2.26 LKR 752

59.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.10 LKR 1,031

15.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.57 LKR 522

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.57 LKR 188

238.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.81 LKR 270

207.41%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.65 LKR 550

138.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.32 LKR 5,094

-26.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.95 LKR 1,646

35.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.78 LKR 2,588

85.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.46 LKR 2,148

-71.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.86 LKR 287

137.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.09 LKR 1,359

-44.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.28 LKR 426

211.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.09 LKR 361

-13.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.77 LKR 256

32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.19 LKR 397

38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.45 LKR 150

51.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$10.14 LKR 3,372

-22.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.61 LKR 4,527

-55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.95 LKR 648

-33.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.94 LKR 979

-31.29%

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

$0.40 LKR 133

740.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.31 LKR 103

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$0.93 LKR 309

2046.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.38 LKR 460

34.78%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-35.51%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.4K LKR 15.1M

-26.52%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$57.9 LKR 19.3K

207.67%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.33 LKR 1,441

444.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$20.86 LKR 6,935

15.63%

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

$4.60 LKR 1,529

127.83%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.69 LKR 13.5K

1436.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.3K LKR 5.7M

13.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$18.18 LKR 6,045

461.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.74 LKR 5,900

144.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$79.6 LKR 26.5K

37.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$42.26 LKR 14.1K

185.47%

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 Hikkaduwa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Hikkaduwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Hikkaduwa

$243 47.5% 6.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Hikkaduwa

$83 16.2% 63.2% $143

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Hikkaduwa

$104 20.3% 52.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Hikkaduwa

$71 13.9% 58% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Hikkaduwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 89.8% $81

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Hikkaduwa

$2 * 0.4% 95.5% $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 $24 in Hikkaduwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $243 – making Hikkaduwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🕒 Local time

04:31 4:31 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

101,342

💱 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 Hikkaduwa 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
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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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 221%, 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 $769 in Hikkaduwa. 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 $24 in Hikkaduwa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hikkaduwa, where all-in costs run around $513, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Hikkaduwa 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 $513 in Hikkaduwa to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.