Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $581 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
Learn more

Matara Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Matara

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $581 in Matara, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Matara $581

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $850 in Matara, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Matara $850

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,118 in Matara, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Matara $1,118

Budapest costs about 184% more than Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Matara is 57% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$3.86 LKR 1,283

253.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$24.60 LKR 8,179

146.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$7.57 LKR 2,517

32.36%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.44 LKR 813

36.48%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.68 LKR 225

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.25 LKR 83.0

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.26 LKR 751

59.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.98 LKR 991

20.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.58 LKR 526

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.57 LKR 190

238.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.78 LKR 260

219.23%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$1.45 LKR 484

171.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$15.08 LKR 5,013

-25.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$5.02 LKR 1,668

34.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$7.69 LKR 2,558

87.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$6.67 LKR 2,218

-72.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.46 LKR 153

343.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$4.17 LKR 1,385

-45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$0.84 LKR 279

375.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$0.97 LKR 322

-3.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.62 LKR 208

64.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.26 LKR 419

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.46 LKR 153

47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$10.27 LKR 3,415

-23.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$13.79 LKR 4,585

-56.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.77 LKR 589

-27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.84 LKR 943

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.29 LKR 95.2

417.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.41 LKR 135

719.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.31 LKR 102

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$0.93 LKR 310

2046.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.38 LKR 458

34.78%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-34.30%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.7K LKR 15.2M

-27.03%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$44.63 LKR 14.8K

299.22%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$4.15 LKR 1,381

468.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$20.43 LKR 6,794

18.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$4.46 LKR 1,482

134.98%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$40.78 LKR 13.6K

1432.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

12.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$17.76 LKR 5,907

474.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$17.33 LKR 5,764

150.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

41.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$41.81 LKR 13.9K

188.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$182 LKR 60.5K

364.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$88.6 LKR 29.4K

620.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

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 557.5K

$105 LKR 35.0K

1535.94%

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 Matara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Matara

$89 15.3% 86.1% $550

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Matara

$238 40.9% 8.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Matara

$69 11.9% 69.4% $157

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Matara

$104 17.9% 52.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Matara

$69 12% 58.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Matara

$8.9 * 1.5% 90.2% $82

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Matara

$3.1 * 0.5% 92.9% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Budapest versus $182 in Matara. 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 16 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $25 in Matara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $238 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 AM

05:48 5:48 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 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 = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.76 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 Matara 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 184%, 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 $871 in Matara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $182 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $25 in Matara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $581, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – 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 Matara. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.