Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kandy

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $513 in Kandy, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Kandy $513

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $728 in Kandy, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Kandy $728

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $943 in Kandy, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Kandy $943

Budapest costs about 219% more than Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kandy is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$2.66 LKR 885

419.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$13.01 LKR 4,324

372.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$6.00 LKR 1,996

69.33%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$1.90 LKR 632

69.47%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.52 LKR 174

296.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.26 LKR 87.1

603.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$1.86 LKR 620

93.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$2.80 LKR 931

30.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.15 LKR 382

3.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$0.52 LKR 174

259.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$0.77 LKR 255

207.79%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$1.71 LKR 568

131.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$5.14 LKR 1,708

117.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$4.25 LKR 1,412

59.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$6.87 LKR 2,285

108.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-42.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$0.84 LKR 280

151.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$1.73 LKR 574

34.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.29 LKR 429

194.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.02 LKR 339

-2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.83 LKR 277

18.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$0.43 LKR 144

260.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.42 LKR 140

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-2.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$11.28 LKR 3,751

-46.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.93 LKR 643

-33.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.08 LKR 691

-1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.16 LKR 53.3

868.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$4.38 LKR 1,457

522.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$0.41 LKR 136

704.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.35 LKR 116

274.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$0.47 LKR 156

4210.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.15 LKR 383

58.26%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

105.52%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-9.97%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

191.78%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$3.86 LKR 1,282

520.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$12.72 LKR 4,227

83.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$10.85 LKR 3,606

532.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$6.80 LKR 2,262

178.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$2.74 LKR 909

271.53%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$21.65 LKR 7,199

2673.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$304 LKR 101.0K

5427.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$18.28 LKR 6,078

441.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$10.15 LKR 3,375

326.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

66.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$26.56 LKR 8,831

341.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$172 LKR 57.2K

386.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$113 LKR 37.5K

466.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$172 LKR 57.2K

828.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

1187.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$397 LKR 131.9K

1317.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$400 LKR 133.0K

850.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$262 LKR 86.9K

539.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-46.25%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Kandy

$113 22% 82.4% $527

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 35.8% $92

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 63.6% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 65.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 67% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 81.7% $73

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 83.5% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $836 in Budapest versus $172 in Kandy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Budapest are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $13 in Kandy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $166 – making Kandy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

23:03 11:03 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

125,000

💱 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 →

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Budapest Kandy 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 219%, 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 $770 in Kandy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $836 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 84% less in Kandy. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $600 per month in Budapest and $22 in Kandy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandy, where all-in costs run around $513, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Kandy it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kandy – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

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