Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 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 Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kataragama

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $508 in Kataragama, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Kataragama $508

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $824 in Kataragama, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Kataragama $824

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,140 in Kataragama, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Kataragama $1,140

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.87 LKR 1,286

252.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$24.70 LKR 8,211

145.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.34 LKR 2,439

36.51%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.43 LKR 807

37.04%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.67 LKR 224

216.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.27 LKR 90.8

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.23 LKR 741

61.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.08 LKR 1,025

16.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.57 LKR 522

-28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.56 LKR 187

244.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.76 LKR 252

227.63%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.63 LKR 543

141.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.08 LKR 5,013

-25.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.89 LKR 1,626

37.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.66 LKR 2,546

88.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.54 LKR 2,173

-71.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.83 LKR 276

145.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.08 LKR 1,357

-43.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.31 LKR 437

204.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.08 LKR 360

-12.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.83 LKR 276

22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.24 LKR 414

33.06%

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

$10.29 LKR 3,421

-24.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.61 LKR 4,526

-55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.96 LKR 652

-34.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.94 LKR 977

-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 134

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

$0.86 LKR 285

2220.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.34 LKR 445

38.81%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

-34.54%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-26.86%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

213.46%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.15 LKR 1,380

468.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$20.61 LKR 6,854

17.03%

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

$4.50 LKR 1,495

132.89%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$39.71 LKR 13.2K

1474.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

13.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$18.27 LKR 6,074

458.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.51 LKR 5,823

147.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

41.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$41.79 LKR 13.9K

188.68%

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 Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Kataragama

$242 47.7% 6.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Kataragama

$82 16.1% 63.9% $144

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Kataragama

$103 20.3% 53.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Kataragama

$70 13.8% 58.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 90.1% $82

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Kataragama

$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 $25 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $242 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

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 →

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Budapest Kataragama 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Kataragama: 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 $762 in Kataragama. 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 Kataragama. 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kataragama 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 $508 in Kataragama to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.