Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Barlad: $975 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $975 per month in Barlad vs $1,641 in Budapest, rent included.

Barlad $975
Budapest $1,641

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $2,562 in Budapest, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Budapest $2,562

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $3,483 in Budapest, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Budapest $3,483

Barlad is about 41% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barlad sits 28% below the global median, while Budapest is 21% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$14.04 Ft 4,536

-36.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

-32.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$10.37 Ft 3,351

-30.57%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$3.46 Ft 1,117

-30.35%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$2.07 Ft 669

-10.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$1.77 Ft 572

-12.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$3.69 Ft 1,191

-41.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$3.80 Ft 1,229

-29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.16 Ft 374

15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$1.85 Ft 598

-39.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$2.40 Ft 776

-41.67%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$3.99 Ft 1,289

-15.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$11.40 Ft 3,683

-34.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$6.87 Ft 2,221

-24.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$14.49 Ft 4,682

-30.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$1.88 Ft 607

-44.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$2.14 Ft 693

-23.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$2.30 Ft 744

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$4.04 Ft 1,304

-56.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.02 Ft 329

-22.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$0.99 Ft 320

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$1.58 Ft 510

-46.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$0.70 Ft 225

27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$8.03 Ft 2,594

-17.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$6.18 Ft 1,997

-9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.24 Ft 401

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.06 Ft 666

-21.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$1.59 Ft 513

-67.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$27.52 Ft 8,893

-27.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$3.43 Ft 1,110

-79.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$1.33 Ft 431

-45.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$20.45 Ft 6,607

-65.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.93 Ft 624

-9.33%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

-9.08%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

-27.78%

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

$158 RON 748

$175 Ft 56.4K

-9.46%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$23.62 Ft 7,631

-62.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$23.60 Ft 7,625

-64.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

-50.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$19.26 Ft 6,224

-6.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$10.31 Ft 3,333

-35.89%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$535 Ft 172.9K

-13.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-54.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

-37.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

-19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$112 Ft 36.1K

-34.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$119 Ft 38.4K

-27.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$832 Ft 268.8K

-51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$629 Ft 203.3K

-57.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

-58.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

-57.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

-69.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

-68.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

6.45

8.06%

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

Last update for Barlad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Budapest

$629 38.4% 134% $361

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Budapest

$262 16% 37.6% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Budapest

$222 13.5% 26.5% $47

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Budapest

$226 13.8% 48.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Budapest

$168 10.3% 46.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Budapest

$89 5.5% 89.4% $42

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 67.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad versus $832 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 $41.00 in Barlad versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $262 – making Barlad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h behind Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Barlad Budapest 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barlad
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

Barlad vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Barlad, $1,641 in Budapest – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad and $2,461 in Budapest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 38% less in Barlad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $535 in Budapest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barlad, where all-in costs run around $975, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Barlad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Budapest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $975 in Barlad to $1,641 in Budapest. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Barlad. 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.