Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $902 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
Learn more

Alba Iulia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$902

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $902 in Alba Iulia versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Alba Iulia $902
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,372 in Alba Iulia versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Alba Iulia $1,372
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,841 in Alba Iulia versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Alba Iulia $1,841
Budapest $3,429

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 44% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alba Iulia is 33% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 RON 39.84

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-39.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.94 RON 146

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-49.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 RON 26.85

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-44.36%

Cappuccino

$2.16 RON 10.24

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-33.74%

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

$1.76 RON 8.32

$2.14 Ft 690

-17.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RON 6.85

$1.78 Ft 577

-18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 RON 9.50

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-45.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 RON 10.10

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-43.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.80

$1.15 Ft 371

6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 RON 5.15

$1.79 Ft 578

-39.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.07

$2.49 Ft 804

-40.16%

Eggs

$2.67 RON 12.65

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-31.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 35.62

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-32.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.82 RON 27.54

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-12.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.61 RON 50.2

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-27.77%

Apples (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.52

$1.83 Ft 591

-47.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.38

$2.05 Ft 661

-34.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.22 RON 5.77

$2.37 Ft 765

-48.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 RON 11.06

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$0.99 Ft 320

-28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 RON 2.75

$1.00 Ft 322

-42.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 RON 3.89

$1.58 Ft 511

-48.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 RON 3.04

$0.67 Ft 216

-4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 RON 25.13

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-33.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.21 RON 19.90

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-32.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.29

$1.27 Ft 411

-11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.75

$2.03 Ft 654

-39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$1.52 Ft 490

-53.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.66 RON 78.8

$28.02 Ft 9,053

-40.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 RON 2.98

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-80.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RON 3.21

$1.37 Ft 442

-50.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 RON 21.51

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-77.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.22

$1.82 Ft 589

-15.93%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-5.61%

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

$24.3K RON 115.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-28.05%

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

$123 RON 583

$171 Ft 55.3K

-28.00%

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

$7.40 RON 35.00

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-68.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.34 RON 44.20

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-59.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.80 RON 136

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-57.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.03 RON 147

$18.89 Ft 6,104

64.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 RON 23.57

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-46.45%

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

$442 RON 2,090

$533 Ft 172.3K

-17.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,914 RON 32.7K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-58.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.88 RON 184

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-60.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.97 RON 113

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-44.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 RON 348

$110 Ft 35.7K

-33.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 RON 303

$119 Ft 38.4K

-46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 RON 1,386

$830 Ft 268.3K

-64.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 RON 1,367

$622 Ft 200.9K

-53.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 RON 2,938

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-61.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 RON 2,243

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-59.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,602 RON 7,578

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-72.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,414 RON 6,688

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-63.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$904 RON 4,278

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-45.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.45

8.06%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$289 32%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 115% $333

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$184 20.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 40.6% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$140 15.5%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 55.7% $78

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$137 15.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 62.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$90 10%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 85.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$39 4.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 122% $47

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 87.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $293 in Alba Iulia and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 83% 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: $31.00 in Alba Iulia vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $258 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

20:19 8:19 PM

19:19 7:19 PM

1 h behind Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alba Iulia Budapest 380 km

From you

Alba Iulia
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

Alba Iulia vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Budapest. 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: $293 in Alba Iulia versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $902 per month in Alba Iulia versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 68% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $902 in Alba Iulia versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alba Iulia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Alba Iulia and Budapest 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.