Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gampaha and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $450 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$450

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gampaha and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gampaha and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $450 in Gampaha versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Gampaha $450
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $765 in Gampaha versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Gampaha $765
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,079 in Gampaha versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Gampaha $1,079
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Gampaha costs roughly 66% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Gampaha 67% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.81 LKR 600

$14.49 RON 68.6

-87.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.00 LKR 5,961

$58.1 RON 275

-69.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 LKR 1,723

$7.48 RON 35.40

-30.48%

Cappuccino

$1.25 LKR 414

$3.44 RON 16.29

-63.66%

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

$0.54 LKR 178

$2.37 RON 11.22

-77.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.7

$2.30 RON 10.88

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 LKR 705

$3.70 RON 17.51

-42.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,007

$4.16 RON 19.69

-26.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 538

$1.67 RON 7.90

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 LKR 144

$1.37 RON 6.50

-68.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 241

$1.72 RON 8.14

-57.56%

Eggs

$1.72 LKR 569

$3.64 RON 17.22

-52.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 LKR 4,480

$9.08 RON 42.98

48.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 LKR 1,312

$6.84 RON 32.35

-42.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.23 LKR 2,394

$12.00 RON 56.8

-39.75%

Apples (1kg)

$5.92 LKR 1,961

$1.23 RON 5.80

381.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.63 RON 7.73

-50.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.41 LKR 1,461

$1.57 RON 7.45

180.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 420

$2.54 RON 12.01

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 LKR 318

$0.79 RON 3.75

21.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 257

$0.77 RON 3.66

1.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.29 LKR 95.7

$0.87 RON 4.13

-66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.32 LKR 104

$0.99 RON 4.70

-67.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.94 LKR 3,294

$6.31 RON 29.86

57.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.77 LKR 4,231

$6.20 RON 29.34

105.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 LKR 457

$1.19 RON 5.63

15.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 LKR 784

$1.57 RON 7.45

50.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 LKR 103

$0.86 RON 4.08

-63.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 LKR 95.8

$0.64 RON 3.05

-54.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 LKR 120

$0.60 RON 2.86

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$6.43 RON 30.43

-86.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 LKR 390

$1.96 RON 9.25

-39.80%

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

$29.9K LKR 9.9M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

3.05%

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

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

50.87%

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

$27.63 LKR 9,153

$196 RON 927

-85.90%

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

$2.98 LKR 985

$8.04 RON 38.04

-62.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 LKR 3,591

$9.35 RON 44.21

15.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.56 LKR 2,504

$50.2 RON 238

-84.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$4.44 LKR 1,472

$8.15 RON 38.55

-45.52%

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

$15.07 LKR 4,991

$628 RON 2,971

-97.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$122 LKR 40.4K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-99.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.88 LKR 5,924

$89.6 RON 424

-80.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$8.90 LKR 2,948

$38.32 RON 181

-76.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 LKR 20.3K

$79.3 RON 375

-22.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.29 LKR 8,044

$90.4 RON 428

-73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$89.4 LKR 29.6K

$678 RON 3,209

-86.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.5 LKR 18.4K

$448 RON 2,121

-87.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 LKR 99.8K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-72.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 LKR 55.4K

$725 RON 3,430

-76.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,751 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,195 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$225 LKR 74.4K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-83.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

48.15%

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

Last update for Gampaha: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Gampaha

$217 48.4%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 3.5% $7.6

Eating Out

Gampaha

$65 14.5%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 246% $160

Accommodation & Living

Gampaha

$55 12.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 708% $393

Clothing & Footwear

Gampaha

$51 11.3%

Bucharest

$134 10% 165% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gampaha

$41 9.2%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 415% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Gampaha

$16 3.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 304% $50

Getting Around

Gampaha

$3.3 * 0.7%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 745% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $89.4 in Gampaha and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 492% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18.00 in Gampaha vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $225 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

13:35 1:35 PM

2 h 30 min behind Gampaha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gampaha Bucharest 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Gampaha
Bucharest

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

Gampaha vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gampaha and Bucharest differ by about 198% in total monthly costs ($450 vs $1,340 including rent). Gampaha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 492% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $89.4 in Gampaha versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $450 per month in Gampaha versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 198% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $450 in Gampaha versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Gampaha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 198% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.