Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $1,647 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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 Wattala
Learn more

Wattala Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Wattala

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

A single person spends $1,647 per month in Budapest vs $574 in Wattala, rent included.

Budapest $1,647
Wattala $574

A couple spends around $2,567 per month in Budapest vs $951 in Wattala, rent included.

Budapest $2,567
Wattala $951

A family of three spends $3,488 per month in Budapest vs $1,328 in Wattala, rent included.

Budapest $3,488
Wattala $1,328

Budapest costs about 187% more than Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 22% above the global median, while Wattala is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.63 Ft 4,407

$3.83 LKR 1,274

255.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

$24.35 LKR 8,095

149.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 Ft 3,239

$7.64 LKR 2,539

31.15%

Cappuccino

$3.33 Ft 1,075

$2.48 LKR 824

34.27%

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

$2.12 Ft 684

$0.68 LKR 227

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 Ft 581

$0.27 LKR 89.9

566.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 Ft 1,166

$2.14 LKR 711

68.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Ft 1,160

$3.04 LKR 1,011

18.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 Ft 361

$1.59 LKR 528

-29.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 Ft 623

$0.54 LKR 178

257.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$0.77 LKR 256

223.38%

Eggs

$3.94 Ft 1,275

$1.64 LKR 545

140.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 Ft 3,646

$14.00 LKR 4,654

-19.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 Ft 2,177

$4.75 LKR 1,581

41.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 Ft 4,670

$7.34 LKR 2,439

96.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Ft 601

$6.41 LKR 2,132

-70.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$0.80 LKR 265

155.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 Ft 740

$4.37 LKR 1,452

-47.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 Ft 1,290

$1.27 LKR 422

214.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 Ft 304

$1.05 LKR 348

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 330

$0.77 LKR 256

32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 Ft 534

$0.95 LKR 314

73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 Ft 221

$0.43 LKR 143

58.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 Ft 2,526

$10.26 LKR 3,410

-23.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,946

$12.73 LKR 4,234

-52.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 Ft 418

$1.89 LKR 630

-31.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 Ft 655

$2.90 LKR 965

-30.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

$0.20 LKR 66.4

650.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 Ft 1,085

$0.41 LKR 136

719.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$0.34 LKR 113

302.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.96 Ft 6,451

$0.89 LKR 295

2142.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 Ft 603

$1.13 LKR 376

64.60%

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

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

-34.05%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

-17.44%

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

$178 Ft 57.6K

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

202.29%

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

$23.58 Ft 7,623

$4.18 LKR 1,391

464.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.12 Ft 7,797

$20.89 LKR 6,946

15.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

$13.62 LKR 4,528

411.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

$4.57 LKR 1,519

272.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 Ft 3,388

$2.93 LKR 974

257.68%

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

$625 Ft 202.1K

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

1555.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

$1,202 LKR 399.6K

1534.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 Ft 33.0K

$18.04 LKR 5,997

465.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

$16.50 LKR 5,488

163.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.5K

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

42.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 Ft 39.0K

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

186.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 Ft 273.3K

$104 LKR 34.6K

712.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$638 Ft 206.4K

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

945.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 Ft 520.1K

$241 LKR 80.2K

567.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 Ft 393.5K

$178 LKR 59.1K

584.74%

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

12.69

-50.04%

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

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$638 38.8%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 90.4% $577

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$260 15.8%

Wattala

$234 40.7% 10.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$226 13.7%

Wattala

$84 14.6% 62.8% $142

Eating Out

Budapest

$220 13.4%

Wattala

$104 18.1% 52.8% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.3%

Wattala

$69 12.1% 59.1% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$91 5.5%

Wattala

$19 3.4% 78.5% $71

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.6%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 93.3% $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 $104 in Wattala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest versus $24 in Wattala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $234 – making Wattala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

06:03 6:03 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

30,200

💱 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 Wattala 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 187%, 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 $861 in Wattala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wattala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $104 there versus $845 in Budapest.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Budapest and $24 in Wattala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Budapest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Wattala, where all-in costs run around $574, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Wattala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wattala – 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.