Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $1,621 in Budapest.

Athens $1,806
Budapest $1,621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $2,555 in Budapest.

Athens $2,731
Budapest $2,555

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $3,489 in Budapest.

Athens $3,656
Budapest $3,489

Living in Athens is roughly 11% more expensive than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Athens 35% above, Budapest 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.85

$13.99 Ft 4,555

19.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.0

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

9.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.86

$9.96 Ft 3,244

11.04%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$3.38 Ft 1,102

22.49%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$2.13 Ft 693

31.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.87 Ft 609

-69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$3.75 Ft 1,222

50.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.57 Ft 1,163

52.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.13 Ft 369

73.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.84 Ft 600

-23.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$2.39 Ft 777

18.41%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.49

$3.83 Ft 1,246

31.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.68

$11.33 Ft 3,689

35.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.22

$6.74 Ft 2,194

53.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.92

$14.69 Ft 4,784

29.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.84 Ft 598

17.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.01 Ft 654

-4.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.36 Ft 767

-41.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$3.77 Ft 1,227

-41.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.96 Ft 314

14.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.03 Ft 335

9.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.56 Ft 509

-29.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.66 Ft 216

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$7.96 Ft 2,594

-29.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.08

$6.01 Ft 1,956

69.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.30 Ft 422

67.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.18

$2.08 Ft 677

17.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.50 Ft 490

-8.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.52

$27.61 Ft 8,991

11.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$3.30 Ft 1,075

32.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.30 Ft 424

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.26

$19.78 Ft 6,442

-13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.81 Ft 591

27.62%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

-4.58%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

-17.86%

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

$210 €187

$170 Ft 55.3K

23.43%

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

$26.70 €23.80

$23.98 Ft 7,809

11.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.86

$23.42 Ft 7,628

28.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.68

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-17.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.21

$19.18 Ft 6,245

35.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.61

$9.52 Ft 3,101

13.24%

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

$575 €513

$537 Ft 174.8K

7.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-20.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$101 Ft 33.0K

-8.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.27

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

-5.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$113 Ft 36.7K

-7.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$119 Ft 38.7K

8.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$805 Ft 262.2K

-6.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$629 Ft 204.9K

3.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,153

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

-16.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,037

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

-0.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,574

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

-28.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,078

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

-13.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,109

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

-23.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

6.43

-30.33%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 3.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 18.1% $57

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 16.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 18.5% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 2.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 12% $9.1

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 5.5% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $805 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $60.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $258 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Athens Budapest 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budapest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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: $756 in Athens versus $805 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $1,621 in Budapest – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budapest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,621 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budapest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens 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 Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.