Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hikkaduwa and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $513 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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Hikkaduwa
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Hikkaduwa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hikkaduwa and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $513 per month in Hikkaduwa vs $1,647 in Budapest, rent included.

Hikkaduwa $513
Budapest $1,647

A couple spends around $830 per month in Hikkaduwa vs $2,567 in Budapest, rent included.

Hikkaduwa $830
Budapest $2,567

A family of three spends $1,147 per month in Hikkaduwa vs $3,488 in Budapest, rent included.

Hikkaduwa $1,147
Budapest $3,488

Hikkaduwa is about 69% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 LKR 1,259

$13.63 Ft 4,407

-72.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.42 LKR 8,120

$60.7 Ft 19.6K

-59.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 LKR 2,472

$10.02 Ft 3,239

-25.85%

Cappuccino

$2.52 LKR 837

$3.33 Ft 1,075

-24.32%

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

$0.72 LKR 241

$2.12 Ft 684

-66.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.7

$1.80 Ft 581

-86.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 752

$3.61 Ft 1,166

-37.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,031

$3.59 Ft 1,160

-13.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 522

$1.12 Ft 361

40.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 188

$1.93 Ft 623

-70.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$2.49 Ft 804

-67.47%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 550

$3.94 Ft 1,275

-58.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.32 LKR 5,094

$11.28 Ft 3,646

35.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 LKR 1,646

$6.73 Ft 2,177

-26.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 LKR 2,588

$14.44 Ft 4,670

-46.12%

Apples (1kg)

$6.46 LKR 2,148

$1.86 Ft 601

247.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$2.04 Ft 658

-57.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.09 LKR 1,359

$2.29 Ft 740

78.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 LKR 426

$3.99 Ft 1,290

-67.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 LKR 361

$0.94 Ft 304

15.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 256

$1.02 Ft 330

-24.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 LKR 397

$1.65 Ft 534

-27.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.68 Ft 221

-33.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.14 LKR 3,372

$7.81 Ft 2,526

29.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.61 LKR 4,527

$6.02 Ft 1,946

126.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 648

$1.29 Ft 418

51.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 979

$2.02 Ft 655

45.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 484

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.13 Ft 8,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$3.36 Ft 1,085

-88.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 103

$1.37 Ft 444

-77.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 309

$19.96 Ft 6,451

-95.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 460

$1.86 Ft 603

-25.81%

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$28.5K Ft 9.2M

55.06%

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

$45.4K LKR 15.1M

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

36.09%

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

$57.9 LKR 19.3K

$178 Ft 57.6K

-67.50%

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

$4.33 LKR 1,441

$23.58 Ft 7,623

-81.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.86 LKR 6,935

$24.12 Ft 7,797

-13.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.7 Ft 22.5K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 Ft 5,505

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,529

$10.48 Ft 3,388

-56.11%

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

$40.69 LKR 13.5K

$625 Ft 202.1K

-93.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K LKR 5.7M

$19.6K Ft 6.4M

-12.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.18 LKR 6,045

$102 Ft 33.0K

-82.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.74 LKR 5,900

$43.41 Ft 14.0K

-59.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 LKR 26.5K

$110 Ft 35.5K

-27.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.26 LKR 14.1K

$121 Ft 39.0K

-64.97%

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 %)

12.5

6.34

97.16%

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

Last update for Hikkaduwa: November 2, 2026

Last update for Budapest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hikkaduwa

$243 47.5%

Budapest

$260 15.8% 6.8% $16

Eating Out

Hikkaduwa

$104 20.3%

Budapest

$220 13.4% 111% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hikkaduwa

$83 16.2%

Budapest

$226 13.7% 172% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Hikkaduwa

$71 13.9%

Budapest

$169 10.3% 138% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Hikkaduwa

$9.2 * 1.8%

Budapest

$91 5.5% 885% $81

Getting Around

Hikkaduwa

$2 * 0.4%

Budapest

$43 2.6% 2123% $41

Accommodation & Living

Hikkaduwa

- * 0%

Budapest

$638 38.8%

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 $24 in Hikkaduwa versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $260 – making Hikkaduwa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

4 h 30 min behind Hikkaduwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,342

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

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).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hikkaduwa Budapest 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hikkaduwa
Budapest

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

Hikkaduwa vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 221%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $769 per month in Hikkaduwa and $2,471 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Hikkaduwa and $61 in Budapest. 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hikkaduwa, where all-in costs run around $513, than in Budapest at $1,647. In Hikkaduwa 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 $513 in Hikkaduwa to $1,647 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.