Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $510 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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 Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Polonnaruwa

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $510 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Polonnaruwa $510

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $829 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Polonnaruwa $829

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,148 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Polonnaruwa $1,148

Budapest costs about 223% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,419

$3.89 LKR 1,294

250.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.7K

$25.28 LKR 8,407

139.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,248

$7.32 LKR 2,434

36.89%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,078

$2.56 LKR 850

30.08%

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

$2.12 Ft 686

$0.69 LKR 228

207.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 583

$0.27 LKR 89.8

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,169

$2.17 LKR 721

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,163

$2.98 LKR 990

20.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 362

$1.58 LKR 526

-29.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 624

$0.54 LKR 178

257.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$0.81 LKR 269

207.41%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,278

$1.70 LKR 566

131.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,656

$15.24 LKR 5,067

-25.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,183

$4.93 LKR 1,638

36.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,682

$7.66 LKR 2,546

88.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 603

$6.48 LKR 2,155

-71.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 660

$0.81 LKR 269

151.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 742

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-46.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,294

$1.27 LKR 423

214.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 305

$1.04 LKR 345

-9.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 331

$0.77 LKR 255

32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 536

$1.26 LKR 419

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.42 LKR 139

61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,533

$10.10 LKR 3,357

-22.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,952

$13.57 LKR 4,511

-55.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 419

$1.87 LKR 622

-31.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 656

$2.98 LKR 989

-32.21%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

808.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 445

$0.31 LKR 102

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

$1.32 LKR 438

40.91%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-35.82%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-26.70%

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

$178 Ft 57.8K

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

207.30%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,643

$4.27 LKR 1,418

452.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,817

$20.36 LKR 6,770

18.47%

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

$4.60 LKR 1,531

127.83%

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

$625 Ft 202.6K

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

1453.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

14.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.1K

$18.01 LKR 5,987

466.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.1K

$17.32 LKR 5,759

150.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.6K

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

39.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.1K

$41.05 LKR 13.6K

193.89%

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 Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 6.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 63.4% $143

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 52.5% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 58.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 89.8% $81

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4% 95.6% $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 Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $242 – making Polonnaruwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

14:40 2:40 PM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

15,000

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Polonnaruwa 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 223%, 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 $765 in Polonnaruwa. 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 Polonnaruwa. 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 Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Polonnaruwa 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 $510 in Polonnaruwa to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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