Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kolonnawa and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $1,638 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
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Kolonnawa Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

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Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kolonnawa 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 Kolonnawa and in Budapest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $488 per month in Kolonnawa vs $1,638 in Budapest, rent included.

Kolonnawa $488
Budapest $1,638

A couple spends around $794 per month in Kolonnawa vs $2,553 in Budapest, rent included.

Kolonnawa $794
Budapest $2,553

A family of three spends $1,100 per month in Kolonnawa vs $3,467 in Budapest, rent included.

Kolonnawa $1,100
Budapest $3,467

Kolonnawa is about 70% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kolonnawa sits 64% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,285

$13.81 Ft 4,552

-71.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.33 LKR 8,422

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

-58.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 LKR 2,453

$10.16 Ft 3,349

-27.36%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 816

$3.22 Ft 1,062

-23.91%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$2.06 Ft 680

-65.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$1.83 Ft 605

-86.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$3.60 Ft 1,188

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$3.66 Ft 1,208

-16.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 519

$1.19 Ft 392

31.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 178

$1.87 Ft 617

-71.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 LKR 192

$2.37 Ft 780

-75.53%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$3.96 Ft 1,305

-58.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 LKR 3,502

$11.16 Ft 3,680

-5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$6.76 Ft 2,228

-31.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 LKR 2,433

$14.35 Ft 4,731

-48.99%

Apples (1kg)

$6.75 LKR 2,243

$1.81 Ft 596

272.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 281

$2.11 Ft 695

-59.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.43 LKR 1,472

$2.33 Ft 770

90.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 439

$3.80 Ft 1,254

-65.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$0.99 Ft 327

5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.98 Ft 324

-21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$1.55 Ft 512

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.70 Ft 230

-38.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.34 LKR 3,436

$7.79 Ft 2,569

32.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 LKR 3,489

$6.05 Ft 1,995

73.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$1.28 Ft 421

38.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 LKR 738

$2.04 Ft 672

8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.2

$1.55 Ft 511

-89.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$3.30 Ft 1,087

-87.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$1.31 Ft 433

-73.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$20.26 Ft 6,679

-95.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 442

$1.82 Ft 600

-26.92%

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

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

52.69%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

24.28%

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

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

$172 Ft 56.8K

-65.40%

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

$4.20 LKR 1,397

$23.95 Ft 7,897

-82.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.66 LKR 6,870

$23.31 Ft 7,685

-11.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 LKR 1,546

$10.18 Ft 3,356

-54.32%

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

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

$600 Ft 197.9K

-93.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

-92.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.07 LKR 6,007

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

-81.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.73 LKR 5,562

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

-61.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

$113 Ft 37.2K

-29.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

$117 Ft 38.6K

-64.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.45

96.74%

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

Last update for Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 18.8% $41

Eating Out

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2%

Budapest

$221 13.5% 114% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3%

Budapest

$219 13.4% 160% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5%

Budapest

$168 10.2% 138% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9%

Budapest

$89 5.4% 857% $80

Getting Around

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 1454% $41

Accommodation & Living

Kolonnawa

- * 0%

Budapest

$640 39.1%

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 $25 in Kolonnawa versus $61 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $258 – making Kolonnawa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

18:34 6:34 PM

4 h 30 min behind Kolonnawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,800

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 = 2.7 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kolonnawa Budapest 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kolonnawa
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

Kolonnawa vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 236%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $732 per month in Kolonnawa and $2,457 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 $25 in Kolonnawa and $61 in Budapest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Budapest at $1,638. In Kolonnawa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kolonnawa costs $488 versus $1,638 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.