Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Budapest 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Budapest is 8.6% higher than in Bucharest (without rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Budapest is 10.7% higher than in Bucharest
Rent Prices in Budapest are 18.2% higher than in Bucharest
Restaurant Prices in Budapest are 1.8% lower than in Bucharest
Groceries Prices in Budapest are 7.3% higher than in Bucharest
Local Purchasing Power in Budapest is 7.7% lower than in Bucharest
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 50.00 lei
(3,897.88 Ft)
51.31 lei
(4,000.00 Ft)
     +2.6 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 250.00 lei
(19,489.42 Ft)
256.55 lei
(20,000.00 Ft)
     +2.6 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 35.00 lei
(2,728.52 Ft)
38.48 lei
(3,000.00 Ft)
     +9.9 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 13.00 lei
(1,013.45 Ft)
12.83 lei
(1,000.00 Ft)
     -1.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 16.00 lei
(1,247.32 Ft)
12.83 lei
(1,000.00 Ft)
     -19.8 %
Cappuccino (regular) 14.46 lei
(1,127.60 Ft)
10.78 lei
(840.45 Ft)
     -25.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 9.48 lei
(738.99 Ft)
7.51 lei
(585.76 Ft)
     -20.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 9.62 lei
(749.59 Ft)
5.73 lei
(447.05 Ft)
     -40.4 %
Markets
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 30.28 lei
(2,360.67 Ft)
18.75 lei
(1,461.71 Ft)
     -38.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 4.59 lei
(358.13 Ft)
6.57 lei
(512.27 Ft)
     +43.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 3.55 lei
(276.81 Ft)
4.39 lei
(342.23 Ft)
     +23.6 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 14.92 lei
(1,163.25 Ft)
11.36 lei
(885.74 Ft)
     -23.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 19.06 lei
(1,486.13 Ft)
19.83 lei
(1,545.82 Ft)
     +4.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 13.79 lei
(1,074.78 Ft)
11.75 lei
(915.70 Ft)
     -14.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 23.02 lei
(1,794.24 Ft)
25.92 lei
(2,020.85 Ft)
     +12.6 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.48 lei
(192.97 Ft)
3.32 lei
(258.61 Ft)
     +34.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 3.51 lei
(273.70 Ft)
3.88 lei
(302.22 Ft)
     +10.4 %
Oranges (1 lb) 3.28 lei
(255.32 Ft)
4.09 lei
(319.06 Ft)
     +25.0 %
Tomato (1 lb) 4.12 lei
(321.13 Ft)
6.41 lei
(499.77 Ft)
     +55.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 2.08 lei
(162.24 Ft)
2.59 lei
(201.84 Ft)
     +24.4 %
Onion (1 lb) 2.04 lei
(158.92 Ft)
2.83 lei
(220.73 Ft)
     +38.9 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.97 lei
(309.42 Ft)
6.71 lei
(523.25 Ft)
     +69.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 3.55 lei
(276.68 Ft)
2.29 lei
(178.57 Ft)
     -35.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 30.00 lei
(2,338.73 Ft)
25.65 lei
(2,000.00 Ft)
     -14.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 4.94 lei
(385.50 Ft)
5.12 lei
(399.40 Ft)
     +3.6 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.06 lei
(628.70 Ft)
6.87 lei
(535.95 Ft)
     -14.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 26.00 lei
(2,026.90 Ft)
28.22 lei
(2,200.00 Ft)
     +8.5 %
Transportation
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 3.00 lei
(233.87 Ft)
5.77 lei
(450.00 Ft)
     +92.4 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 80.00 lei
(6,236.61 Ft)
121.86 lei
(9,500.00 Ft)
     +52.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.00 lei
(233.87 Ft)
14.11 lei
(1,100.00 Ft)
     +370.3 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 4.83 lei
(376.38 Ft)
9.08 lei
(708.11 Ft)
     +88.1 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 lei
(2,338.73 Ft)
84.66 lei
(6,600.00 Ft)
     +182.2 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 26.90 lei
(2,097.28 Ft)
30.58 lei
(2,383.93 Ft)
     +13.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 120,772.78 lei
(9,415,164.29 Ft)
128,274.75 lei
(10,000,000.00 Ft)
     +6.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 119,167.22 lei
(9,289,998.21 Ft)
128,708.91 lei
(10,033,846.15 Ft)
     +8.0 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 708.92 lei
(55,265.41 Ft)
733.93 lei
(57,215.26 Ft)
     +3.5 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 42.68 lei
(3,327.01 Ft)
106.27 lei
(8,284.47 Ft)
     +149.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 40.50 lei
(3,157.61 Ft)
80.98 lei
(6,313.11 Ft)
     +99.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 227.46 lei
(17,732.00 Ft)
236.05 lei
(18,402.14 Ft)
     +3.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 99.79 lei
(7,779.04 Ft)
70.60 lei
(5,503.85 Ft)
     -29.2 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 35.00 lei
(2,728.52 Ft)
35.92 lei
(2,800.00 Ft)
     +2.6 %
Childcare
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 2,208.70 lei
(172,184.76 Ft)
1,994.09 lei
(155,454.55 Ft)
     -9.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 45,957.81 lei
(3,582,763.56 Ft)
48,155.91 lei
(3,754,122.09 Ft)
     +4.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 364.74 lei
(28,434.56 Ft)
363.58 lei
(28,343.72 Ft)
     -0.3 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 186.31 lei
(14,524.26 Ft)
154.91 lei
(12,076.67 Ft)
     -16.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 372.03 lei
(29,002.25 Ft)
424.16 lei
(33,066.67 Ft)
     +14.0 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 463.95 lei
(36,168.73 Ft)
454.76 lei
(35,451.95 Ft)
     -2.0 %
Rent Per Month
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,632.56 lei
(205,228.27 Ft)
2,927.05 lei
(228,186.30 Ft)
     +11.2 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,798.01 lei
(140,168.38 Ft)
2,275.46 lei
(177,389.46 Ft)
     +26.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,416.50 lei
(344,300.20 Ft)
5,157.07 lei
(402,032.94 Ft)
     +16.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 3,119.12 lei
(243,159.43 Ft)
3,788.87 lei
(295,371.73 Ft)
     +21.5 %
Buy Apartment Price
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,147.67 lei
(89,469.87 Ft)
1,663.46 lei
(129,679.82 Ft)
     +44.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 717.69 lei
(55,949.72 Ft)
1,140.78 lei
(88,932.81 Ft)
     +59.0 %
Salaries And Financing
Bucharest Edit Budapest Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,268.97 lei
(410,756.68 Ft)
5,387.89 lei
(420,027.69 Ft)
     +2.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 7.36 8.91      +21.0 %
Last update: May 2024May 2024
Contributors in the past 12 months:556664