Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Argos and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Argos: $1,218 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Argos
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Argos Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Argos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,218

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,218 per month in Argos vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Argos $1,218
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $1,812 per month in Argos vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Argos $1,812
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Argos vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Argos $2,407
Budapest $3,429

Argos is about 25% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Argos sits 10% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.34 €10.09

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-18.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.38 €32.36

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-40.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.80 €6.93

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-23.45%

Cappuccino

$2.54 €2.26

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-22.09%

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

$1.64 €1.46

$2.14 Ft 690

-23.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.56

$1.78 Ft 577

-65.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 €2.42

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-26.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 €3.06

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-8.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.15 Ft 371

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.79 Ft 578

-18.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.49 Ft 804

-34.14%

Eggs

$3.21 €2.85

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-17.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.39 €10.13

$11.10 Ft 3,587

2.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 €5.85

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.90 €7.92

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-39.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.83 Ft 591

-21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.05 Ft 661

-24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 €0.85

$2.37 Ft 765

-59.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.99 Ft 320

-1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.00 Ft 322

9.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 €0.67

$1.58 Ft 511

-51.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.67 Ft 216

-19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 €4.16

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-41.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$6.22 Ft 2,009

-12.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.27 Ft 411

29.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.03 Ft 654

62.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.52 Ft 490

-13.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.40 €37.72

$28.02 Ft 9,053

51.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.92

$3.31 Ft 1,070

32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.37 Ft 442

-16.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 €12.54

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-28.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.82 Ft 589

7.69%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-6.48%

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

$23.7K €21.1K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-29.85%

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

$160 €142

$171 Ft 55.3K

-6.50%

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

$21.50 €19.13

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-8.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.03 €24.94

$23.29 Ft 7,526

20.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 €49.84

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-17.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.53 €22.71

$18.89 Ft 6,104

35.15%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 €7.88

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-4.73%

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

$480 €427

$533 Ft 172.3K

-9.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,434 €3,944

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-73.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.6 €60.1

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-32.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.82 €31.86

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-17.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 €67.3

$110 Ft 35.7K

-31.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.9 €50.6

$119 Ft 38.4K

-52.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$488 €434

$830 Ft 268.3K

-41.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 €344

$622 Ft 200.9K

-37.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 €671

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-52.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 €555

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-46.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,985 €2,656

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-48.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,885 €1,677

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-51.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 €625

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-57.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

6.45

-32.40%

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

Last update for Argos: 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

Argos

$387 31.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 60.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Argos

$210 17.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 22.6% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Argos

$210 17.2%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 4% $8.4

Eating Out

Argos

$174 14.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 28.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Argos

$106 8.7%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 57.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Argos

$74 6.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 16.8% $12

Getting Around

Argos

$58 4.8%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 23.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $488 in Argos 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 135% higher in Budapest, 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 $36.00 in Argos versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $258 – making Argos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Argos

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h behind Argos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,209

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Argos Budapest 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Argos
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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

Argos vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 33% more than Argos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,827 per month in Argos 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 Argos, 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 $1,218 in Argos and $1,619 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Argos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Argos, where all-in costs run around $1,218, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Argos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Argos costs $1,218 versus $1,619 in Budapest. 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 Argos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.