Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $859 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
Learn more

Alexandria Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$859

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Alexandria versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Alexandria $859
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,320 in Alexandria versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Alexandria $1,320
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,781 in Alexandria versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Alexandria $1,781
Budapest $3,429

Living in Alexandria costs roughly 47% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alexandria is 36% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 RON 39.26

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-40.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.10 RON 142

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-50.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.24

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-28.95%

Cappuccino

$1.62 RON 7.68

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-50.31%

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

$1.76 RON 8.34

$2.14 Ft 690

-17.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 RON 7.03

$1.78 Ft 577

-16.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 RON 9.99

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-43.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 RON 11.66

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-34.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.56

$1.15 Ft 371

20.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 RON 3.78

$1.79 Ft 578

-55.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.21

$2.49 Ft 804

-55.82%

Eggs

$2.16 RON 10.23

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-44.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.98 RON 23.57

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-55.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 RON 20.35

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-35.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.67 RON 36.31

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-47.79%

Apples (1kg)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$1.83 Ft 591

-51.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 RON 5.57

$2.05 Ft 661

-42.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.98 RON 4.61

$2.37 Ft 765

-58.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 RON 4.62

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-74.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$0.99 Ft 320

-29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 RON 2.87

$1.00 Ft 322

-39.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 RON 3.40

$1.58 Ft 511

-54.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$0.67 Ft 216

28.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.43 RON 25.69

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-31.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.15 RON 24.38

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 RON 4.34

$1.27 Ft 411

-27.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 RON 5.10

$2.03 Ft 654

-46.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.52 Ft 490

-60.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.28 RON 200

$28.02 Ft 9,053

50.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 RON 2.07

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-86.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 RON 1.91

$1.37 Ft 442

-70.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.49 RON 25.97

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-72.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 RON 8.14

$1.82 Ft 589

-5.49%

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

$16.1K RON 76.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-45.96%

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

$23.1K RON 109.4K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-31.62%

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

$115 RON 545

$171 Ft 55.3K

-32.68%

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

$5.18 RON 24.53

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-77.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.60 RON 35.96

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-67.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 RON 277

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-13.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.59 RON 116

$18.89 Ft 6,104

30.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 RON 30.10

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-31.61%

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

$308 RON 1,459

$533 Ft 172.3K

-42.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,663 RON 31.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-60.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 RON 245

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-48.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.37 RON 106

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-48.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 RON 299

$110 Ft 35.7K

-42.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 RON 303

$119 Ft 38.4K

-46.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 RON 1,511

$830 Ft 268.3K

-61.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 RON 1,127

$622 Ft 200.9K

-61.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 RON 2,731

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-63.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 RON 1,981

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-64.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,235 RON 5,842

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-78.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$778 RON 3,679

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-80.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$844 RON 3,995

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-48.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.73

6.45

4.34%

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

$238 27.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 161% $384

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$148 17.2%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 74.1% $110

Eating Out

Alexandria

$136 15.8%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 63.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$128 14.9%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 70.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$91 10.5%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 85% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$71 8.3%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 20.8% $15

Getting Around

Alexandria

$47 5.5%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 6.2% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $319 in Alexandria and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 96% 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: $30.00 in Alexandria vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $148 vs $258 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

02:10 2:10 AM

01:10 1:10 AM

1 h behind Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,434

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

Alexandria Budapest 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Alexandria
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

Alexandria vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 96% 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: $319 in Alexandria versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Alexandria versus $1,619 in Budapest – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 51% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Alexandria versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alexandria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alexandria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.