Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Piliyandala

For one person, living is cheaper in Piliyandala: $580 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
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Piliyandala
Learn more

Piliyandala Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Piliyandala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Piliyandala

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $580 in Piliyandala, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Piliyandala $580

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $917 in Piliyandala, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Piliyandala $917

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,253 in Piliyandala, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Piliyandala $1,253

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.06 LKR 1,017

345.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$12.26 LKR 4,077

394.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.64 LKR 2,540

31.15%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.57 LKR 856

29.57%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.73 LKR 243

190.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.27 LKR 90.6

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.25 LKR 748

60.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$3.05 LKR 1,014

17.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.58 LKR 526

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.56 LKR 187

244.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.81 LKR 268

207.41%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.71 LKR 568

130.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.09 LKR 5,018

-25.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.94 LKR 1,642

36.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.65 LKR 2,543

88.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.52 LKR 2,167

-71.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.82 LKR 273

148.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.27 LKR 1,420

-46.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.28 LKR 424

211.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.07 LKR 357

-12.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.83 LKR 275

22.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.25 LKR 415

32.00%

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

$10.38 LKR 3,450

-24.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.32 LKR 4,429

-54.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.87 LKR 623

-31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.92 LKR 970

-30.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.37 LKR 123

305.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,792

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,088

$0.41 LKR 136

719.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.31 LKR 105

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,468

$0.87 LKR 290

2194.25%

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

$42.9K LKR 14.2M

-33.46%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$46.2K LKR 15.4M

-27.72%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$55.9 LKR 18.6K

218.84%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.25 LKR 1,413

454.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$20.79 LKR 6,912

16.02%

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

$4.48 LKR 1,491

133.93%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.91 LKR 13.6K

1427.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

14.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$17.85 LKR 5,935

471.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.46 LKR 5,804

148.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$77.9 LKR 25.9K

40.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$41.22 LKR 13.7K

192.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 274.0K

$107 LKR 35.6K

690.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.9K

$75.2 LKR 25.0K

749.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 521.5K

$253 LKR 84.0K

536.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 394.5K

$181 LKR 60.1K

573.45%

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

$302 LKR 100.3K

471.90%

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 Piliyandala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Piliyandala

$75 13% 88.2% $563

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Piliyandala

$243 41.8% 6.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Piliyandala

$81 14% 64.2% $145

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Piliyandala

$100 17.2% 54.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Piliyandala

$70 12% 58.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Piliyandala

$9 * 1.6% 90.1% $82

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Piliyandala

$3.5 * 0.6% 92% $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 $107 in Piliyandala. 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 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $12 in Piliyandala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $243 – making Piliyandala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Piliyandala

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

13:22 1:22 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Piliyandala 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Piliyandala

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 Piliyandala: 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 $870 in Piliyandala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Piliyandala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $107 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $12 in Piliyandala. 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Piliyandala, where all-in costs run around $580, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Piliyandala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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