Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Argostoli and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Argostoli: $1,358 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Argostoli
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Argostoli Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Argostoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,358 per month in Argostoli vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Argostoli $1,358
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Argostoli vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Argostoli $2,073
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $2,789 per month in Argostoli vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Argostoli $2,789
Budapest $3,429

Argostoli is about 16% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Argostoli and Budapest sit above the global median – Argostoli by 1%, Budapest by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.28 €10.06

$13.94 Ft 4,517

-19.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 €51.8

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-5.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 €8.18

$10.19 Ft 3,302

-9.91%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$3.26 Ft 1,058

31.60%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$2.14 Ft 693

9.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$1.78 Ft 578

-69.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.53 €4.04

$3.71 Ft 1,202

22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 €3.99

$3.77 Ft 1,221

18.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.15 Ft 372

34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.79 Ft 579

-20.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$2.49 Ft 806

-3.21%

Eggs

$5.14 €4.58

$3.90 Ft 1,265

31.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 €10.07

$11.10 Ft 3,599

1.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.76 €8.70

$6.62 Ft 2,146

47.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 €12.73

$14.69 Ft 4,761

-2.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.83 Ft 593

25.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.05 Ft 663

7.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.37 Ft 768

-25.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$3.90 Ft 1,264

-49.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.99 Ft 321

12.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.00 Ft 323

26.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.58 Ft 513

-43.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.67 Ft 217

23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 €4.68

$7.96 Ft 2,580

-34.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.86 €6.12

$6.22 Ft 2,015

10.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.27 Ft 412

29.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 €3.05

$2.03 Ft 657

68.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.52 Ft 492

-7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.58 €38.86

$28.02 Ft 9,082

55.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.94

$3.31 Ft 1,073

33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.37 Ft 444

-20.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.82 €12.32

$19.83 Ft 6,427

-30.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.82 Ft 590

21.43%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

-6.91%

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

$23.7K €21.1K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-30.02%

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

$161 €143

$171 Ft 55.5K

-6.13%

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

$24.63 €21.96

$23.51 Ft 7,620

4.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.27 €25.21

$23.29 Ft 7,550

21.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.62

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

-24.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.18 €22.45

$18.89 Ft 6,124

33.30%

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 €8.10

$9.30 Ft 3,013

-2.26%

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

$476 €424

$533 Ft 172.9K

-10.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,442 €3,961

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-73.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.6

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

-30.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.94 €32.05

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

-17.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.8 €66.7

$110 Ft 35.8K

-32.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €97.3

$119 Ft 38.6K

-8.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$477 €425

$830 Ft 269.2K

-42.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 €355

$622 Ft 201.6K

-35.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 €654

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

-53.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €546

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

-47.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,612 €2,329

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-55.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,176 €1,940

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-44.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

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 Argostoli: October 12, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Argostoli

$398 29.3%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 56.1% $224

Groceries & Markets

Argostoli

$275 20.3%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 6.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Argostoli

$214 15.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 2.1% $4.4

Eating Out

Argostoli

$212 15.6%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Argostoli

$130 9.6%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 28.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Argostoli

$69 5.1%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 24.2% $17

Getting Around

Argostoli

$59 4.4%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 25.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Argostoli 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Argostoli versus $61.0 in Budapest. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Argostoli vs $258 in Budapest – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Argostoli

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

14:16 2:16 PM

1 h behind Argostoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.09 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Argostoli Budapest 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Argostoli
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

Argostoli vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,037 per month in Argostoli 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 Argostoli, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58.0 in Argostoli and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Argostoli, where all-in costs run around $1,358, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Argostoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Argostoli – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Argostoli. 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.