Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: $713 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$713

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $713
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,101 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,101
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,490 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte $1,490
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte costs roughly 47% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 47% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.32 LKR 1,430

$14.49 RON 68.6

-70.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.52 LKR 8,122

$58.1 RON 275

-57.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 LKR 2,478

$7.48 RON 35.40

Cappuccino

$2.46 LKR 815

$3.44 RON 16.29

-28.49%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$2.37 RON 11.22

-71.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$2.30 RON 10.88

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 719

$3.70 RON 17.51

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 976

$4.16 RON 19.69

-29.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 440

$1.67 RON 7.90

-20.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$1.37 RON 6.50

-61.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 243

$1.72 RON 8.14

-57.56%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$3.64 RON 17.22

-55.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.88 LKR 4,599

$9.08 RON 42.98

52.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 LKR 1,480

$6.84 RON 32.35

-34.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.32 LKR 1,762

$12.00 RON 56.8

-55.67%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 LKR 2,054

$1.23 RON 5.80

404.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 266

$1.63 RON 7.73

-50.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.42 LKR 1,465

$1.57 RON 7.45

181.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 LKR 413

$2.54 RON 12.01

-50.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 LKR 312

$0.79 RON 3.75

18.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 265

$0.77 RON 3.66

3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$0.87 RON 4.13

1.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$0.99 RON 4.70

-52.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.81 LKR 2,919

$6.31 RON 29.86

39.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.64 LKR 4,185

$6.20 RON 29.34

103.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 628

$1.19 RON 5.63

59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,006

$1.57 RON 7.45

93.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 RON 4.08

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 LKR 103

$0.64 RON 3.05

-51.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.60 RON 2.86

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 307

$6.43 RON 30.43

-85.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 LKR 364

$1.96 RON 9.25

-43.88%

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

$36.8K LKR 12.2M

$29.0K RON 137.2K

27.03%

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

$40.6K LKR 13.5M

$26.6K RON 126.0K

52.51%

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

$44.92 LKR 14.9K

$196 RON 927

-77.07%

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

$4.15 LKR 1,373

$8.04 RON 38.04

-48.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.29 LKR 4,069

$9.35 RON 44.21

31.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.01 LKR 4,972

$50.2 RON 238

-70.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 RON 120

Cinema Ticket

$3.01 LKR 998

$8.15 RON 38.55

-63.07%

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

$37.46 LKR 12.4K

$628 RON 2,971

-94.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$909 LKR 301.0K

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-93.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.47 LKR 6,118

$89.6 RON 424

-79.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.90 LKR 5,597

$38.32 RON 181

-55.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 LKR 26.7K

$79.3 RON 375

1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.96 LKR 13.9K

$90.4 RON 428

-53.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 LKR 101.7K

$678 RON 3,209

-54.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 LKR 75.6K

$448 RON 2,121

-49.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$449 LKR 148.6K

$1,083 RON 5,125

-58.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 LKR 126.8K

$725 RON 3,430

-47.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 LKR 223.5K

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-82.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$538 LKR 178.2K

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-75.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$307 LKR 101.8K

$1,329 RON 6,290

-76.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

6.75

88.00%

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

Last update for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$228 32%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 96.4% $220

Groceries & Markets

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$222 31.2%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 1.3% $3

Eating Out

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$107 15%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 110% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$71 10%

Bucharest

$134 10% 88.5% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$61 8.6%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 248% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$21 3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 216% $45

Getting Around

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

$2 * 0.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 1290% $26

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 $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 332% 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: $25.00 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $225 per month, with Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

15:11 3:11 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

2 h 30 min behind Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,826 Capital

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Bucharest 6,650 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
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

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Bucharest differ by about 88% in total monthly costs ($713 vs $1,340 including rent). Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 332% 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: $307 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $713 per month in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $713 in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte 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.

Safety-wise, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Bucharest are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.