Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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 Kandana
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Kandana Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kandana

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $509 in Kandana, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Kandana $509

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $827 in Kandana, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Kandana $827

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,145 in Kandana, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Kandana $1,145

Budapest costs about 224% more than Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.76 LKR 1,251

262.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$25.18 LKR 8,374

140.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.45 LKR 2,476

34.50%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.43 LKR 808

37.04%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.72 LKR 238

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.27 LKR 90.6

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.18 LKR 725

65.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.08 LKR 1,024

16.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.58 LKR 526

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.54 LKR 178

257.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.75 LKR 248

232.00%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.65 LKR 548

138.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.19 LKR 5,049

-25.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.88 LKR 1,621

37.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.76 LKR 2,580

86.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.73 LKR 2,238

-72.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.82 LKR 273

148.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.11 LKR 1,367

-44.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.28 LKR 426

211.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.03 LKR 343

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.82 LKR 271

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.24 LKR 413

33.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.46 LKR 152

47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$10.16 LKR 3,377

-23.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.42 LKR 4,463

-55.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.87 LKR 623

-31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.97 LKR 988

-31.99%

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

$0.38 LKR 126

784.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.33 LKR 111

315.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$0.86 LKR 287

2220.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.37 LKR 457

35.77%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-35.46%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-26.67%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

210.13%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.30 LKR 1,429

448.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$20.55 LKR 6,833

17.37%

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

$4.45 LKR 1,480

135.51%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

1450.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

14.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$18.24 LKR 6,063

459.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.49 LKR 5,815

148.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

37.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

194.68%

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 Kandana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Kandana

$243 47.7% 6.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Kandana

$82 16.2% 63.6% $144

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Kandana

$103 20.2% 53.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 58.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8% 90.2% $82

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Kandana

$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 $25 in Kandana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $243 – making Kandana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

15,000

💱 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 Kandana 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 224%, 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 $764 in Kandana. 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 Kandana. 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 Kandana, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kandana it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandana costs $509 versus $1,647 in Budapest. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.