Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,619 a month against $2,976 in Arad, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Arad

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,976

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,976 per month in Arad vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Arad $2,976
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $4,235 per month in Arad vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Arad $4,235
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $5,493 per month in Arad vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Arad $5,493
Budapest $3,429

Arad costs about 84% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arad and Budapest sit above the global median – Arad by 120%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.95 ₪80.7

$13.94 Ft 4,503

86.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 ₪286

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

50.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.04 ₪62.4

$10.19 Ft 3,291

96.66%

Cappuccino

$4.81 ₪14.97

$3.26 Ft 1,055

47.55%

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

$3.98 ₪12.40

$2.14 Ft 690

85.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ₪8.31

$1.78 Ft 577

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.92 ₪30.86

$3.71 Ft 1,198

167.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.27 ₪31.97

$3.77 Ft 1,217

172.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 ₪7.99

$1.15 Ft 371

123.48%

White Bread (500g)

$5.61 ₪17.46

$1.79 Ft 578

213.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 ₪10.51

$2.49 Ft 804

35.74%

Eggs

$4.48 ₪13.95

$3.90 Ft 1,261

14.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.12 ₪40.82

$11.10 Ft 3,587

18.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.23 ₪59.8

$6.62 Ft 2,139

190.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.55 ₪82.6

$14.69 Ft 4,745

80.74%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 ₪19.84

$1.83 Ft 591

248.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.20 ₪9.95

$2.05 Ft 661

56.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 ₪9.50

$2.37 Ft 765

28.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 ₪9.87

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 ₪6.54

$0.99 Ft 320

112.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₪5.28

$1.00 Ft 322

70.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 ₪7.51

$1.58 Ft 511

53.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 ₪7.95

$0.67 Ft 216

282.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 ₪31.00

$7.96 Ft 2,572

25.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 ₪41.12

$6.22 Ft 2,009

112.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.69 ₪14.58

$1.27 Ft 411

269.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 ₪13.14

$2.03 Ft 654

107.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 ₪9.29

$1.52 Ft 490

96.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.4 ₪272

$28.02 Ft 9,053

211.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 ₪25.65

$3.31 Ft 1,070

148.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ₪3.59

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.86 ₪89.8

$19.83 Ft 6,406

45.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 ₪8.17

$1.82 Ft 589

44.51%

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

$58.2K ₪181.2K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

95.40%

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

$58.7K ₪182.8K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

73.73%

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

$336 ₪1,046

$171 Ft 55.3K

96.53%

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

$12.37 ₪38.47

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-47.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.51 ₪154

$23.29 Ft 7,526

112.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.7 ₪264

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

25.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 ₪51.4

$9.30 Ft 3,004

77.74%

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

$1,643 ₪5,112

$533 Ft 172.3K

208.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ₪93.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

79.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₪319

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

2.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₪200

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

47.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$176 ₪548

$110 Ft 35.7K

59.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ₪487

$119 Ft 38.4K

31.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 ₪5,222

$830 Ft 268.3K

102.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 ₪3,683

$622 Ft 200.9K

90.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 ₪7,846

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

58.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 ₪5,053

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

38.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K ₪33.6K

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

84.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,515 ₪26.5K

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

118.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,569 ₪7,992

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

55.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.2

6.45

-19.38%

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

Last update for Arad: 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

Arad

$1.2K 39.8%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 47.5% $562

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$516 17.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 50% $258

Eating Out

Arad

$422 14.2%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 47.2% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$398 13.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 45.3% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$225 7.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 25.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$118 4%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 26.9% $32

Getting Around

Arad

$113 3.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 61% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,678 in Arad versus $830 in Budapest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% higher in Arad, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Arad versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $516 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Arad

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

02:00 2:00 AM

1 h behind Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,530

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Budapest 2,270 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Arad
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

Arad vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arad costs about 84% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,464 per month in Arad and $2,428 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Budapest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,976 in Arad and $1,619 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 84%.

Public transport costs about 212% less in Budapest. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Budapest, where all-in costs run around $1,619, than in Arad at $2,976. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Budapest costs $1,619 versus $2,976 in Arad. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.