Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kegalle

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $601 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kegalle
Learn more

Kegalle Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Kegalle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kegalle

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $601 in Kegalle, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Kegalle $601

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $876 in Kegalle, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Kegalle $876

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,151 in Kegalle, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Kegalle $1,151

Budapest costs about 174% more than Kegalle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Kegalle is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.10 LKR 1,031

339.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$24.26 LKR 8,067

150.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.32 LKR 2,435

36.89%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.55 LKR 847

30.59%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.47 LKR 156

351.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.25 LKR 82.4

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.14 LKR 713

68.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.09 LKR 1,029

16.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.65 LKR 548

-32.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.47 LKR 155

310.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.68 LKR 227

266.18%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.67 LKR 555

135.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.22 LKR 5,062

-25.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.88 LKR 1,621

37.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.73 LKR 2,571

86.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.06 LKR 2,014

-69.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.88 LKR 294

131.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.17 LKR 1,386

-45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.21 LKR 402

229.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$0.92 LKR 305

2.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.82 LKR 274

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$0.38 LKR 125

334.21%

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

$9.81 LKR 3,263

-20.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.80 LKR 4,590

-56.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.97 LKR 654

-34.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.68 LKR 892

-24.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.59 LKR 195

154.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

$7.33 LKR 2,439

270.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.35 LKR 115

860.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.31 LKR 103

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$0.92 LKR 307

2069.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 604

$1.38 LKR 458

34.78%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

-34.07%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$35.4K LKR 11.8M

-5.76%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$57.2 LKR 19.0K

211.54%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.32 LKR 1,438

445.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$21.06 LKR 7,003

14.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.6K

$19.40 LKR 6,451

259.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,520

$14.94 LKR 4,966

13.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,397

$4.57 LKR 1,521

129.32%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.04 LKR 13.3K

1461.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

14.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$17.76 LKR 5,907

474.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$15.22 LKR 5,061

185.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

147.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$41.55 LKR 13.8K

190.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$122 LKR 40.7K

591.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$91.5 LKR 30.4K

598.04%

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

$178 LKR 59.1K

870.75%

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 Kegalle: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Kegalle

$91 15.2% 85.7% $547

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Kegalle

$236 39.3% 9.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Kegalle

$83 13.8% 63.4% $143

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Kegalle

$97 16.2% 55.8% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Kegalle

$54 8.9% 68.4% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Kegalle

$29 4.8% 68.5% $62

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Kegalle

$12 1.9% 73.3% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $122 in Kegalle. 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 9.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $24 in Kegalle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $236 – making Kegalle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Kegalle

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

17,900

💱 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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Budapest Kegalle 7,280 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 Kegalle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 174%, 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 $901 in Kegalle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kegalle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $122 there versus $845 in Budapest.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Kegalle. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $625 per month in Budapest and $40 in Kegalle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kegalle, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Kegalle it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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

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