Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Kolonnawa

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

A single person spends $1,638 per month in Budapest vs $488 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Budapest $1,638
Kolonnawa $488

A couple spends around $2,553 per month in Budapest vs $794 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Budapest $2,553
Kolonnawa $794

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Budapest vs $1,100 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Budapest $3,467
Kolonnawa $1,100

Budapest costs about 236% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Kolonnawa is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$3.87 LKR 1,285

256.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$25.33 LKR 8,422

142.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$7.38 LKR 2,453

37.67%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$2.45 LKR 816

31.43%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$0.71 LKR 236

190.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$0.25 LKR 82.6

632.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$2.16 LKR 718

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$3.06 LKR 1,018

19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.56 LKR 519

-23.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$0.53 LKR 178

252.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$0.58 LKR 192

308.62%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$1.66 LKR 551

138.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$10.53 LKR 3,502

5.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$4.63 LKR 1,539

46.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$7.32 LKR 2,433

96.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-73.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$0.85 LKR 281

148.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$4.43 LKR 1,472

-47.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$1.32 LKR 439

187.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$1.04 LKR 347

-4.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$0.77 LKR 255

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$0.93 LKR 308

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.43 LKR 142

62.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-24.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$10.50 LKR 3,489

-42.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.77 LKR 588

-27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.22 LKR 738

-8.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$0.16 LKR 53.2

868.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$0.40 LKR 134

725.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$0.35 LKR 116

274.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$0.93 LKR 308

2078.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.33 LKR 442

36.84%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

-34.51%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

-19.54%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

188.99%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$4.20 LKR 1,397

470.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$20.66 LKR 6,870

12.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$4.65 LKR 1,546

118.92%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

1507.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

1313.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$18.07 LKR 6,007

448.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$16.73 LKR 5,562

158.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

40.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

181.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

12.69

-49.17%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 15.8% $41

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 53.2% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 61.5% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 57.9% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 89.5% $80

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 93.6% $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 Kolonnawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $217 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

64,800

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Kolonnawa 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
Kolonnawa

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 Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 236%, 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 $732 in Kolonnawa. 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 Kolonnawa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.