Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Ragama

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

Ragama Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Ragama

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

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

Budapest $1,647
Ragama $510

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $828 in Ragama, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Ragama $828

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,146 in Ragama, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Ragama $1,146

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$3.88 LKR 1,289

251.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$24.68 LKR 8,207

145.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$7.40 LKR 2,459

35.41%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.44 LKR 813

36.48%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.67 LKR 223

216.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.25 LKR 82.8

620.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.22 LKR 740

62.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$2.96 LKR 984

21.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.64 LKR 544

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.53 LKR 176

264.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.80 LKR 267

211.25%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$1.63 LKR 542

141.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$15.16 LKR 5,041

-25.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$5.02 LKR 1,668

34.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$7.73 LKR 2,569

86.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$6.65 LKR 2,211

-72.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.87 LKR 290

134.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$4.17 LKR 1,387

-45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$1.27 LKR 422

214.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.03 LKR 343

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.82 LKR 273

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$1.21 LKR 404

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.46 LKR 152

47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$10.12 LKR 3,365

-22.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$13.32 LKR 4,429

-54.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.89 LKR 627

-31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.86 LKR 951

-29.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.40 LKR 134

740.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.31 LKR 102

341.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$0.87 LKR 289

2194.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.33 LKR 441

39.85%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-33.39%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$45.3K LKR 15.1M

-26.35%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

213.62%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$4.18 LKR 1,389

464.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$20.40 LKR 6,784

18.24%

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

$4.62 LKR 1,535

126.84%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$40.68 LKR 13.5K

1436.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$17.0K LKR 5.7M

15.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$17.86 LKR 5,939

471.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$17.69 LKR 5,881

145.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

37.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$41.15 LKR 13.7K

193.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

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

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 Ragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Ragama

$244 47.8% 6.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Ragama

$81 16% 64% $144

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Ragama

$103 20.3% 53% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Ragama

$70 13.8% 58.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Ragama

$9.2 * 1.8% 89.8% $81

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Ragama

$1.9 * 0.4% 95.5% $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 Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $244 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

22:16 10:16 PM

02:46 2:46 AM

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 = 2.76 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 5, 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 5, 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 Ragama 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Ragama

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 Ragama: 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 Ragama. 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 Ragama. 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 Ragama, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Ragama 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 Ragama to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.