Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berlin and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $1,621 in Budapest, rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Budapest $1,621

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $2,555 in Budapest, rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Budapest $2,555

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $3,489 in Budapest, rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Budapest $3,489

Berlin costs about 57% more than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Berlin and Budapest sit above the global median – Berlin by 90%, Budapest by 21%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €15.00

$13.99 Ft 4,551

20.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

31.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$9.96 Ft 3,241

34.34%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$3.38 Ft 1,100

26.33%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$2.13 Ft 692

59.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.79

$1.87 Ft 608

66.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.89

$3.75 Ft 1,221

46.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.07

$3.57 Ft 1,162

27.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.13 Ft 368

12.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.84 Ft 599

33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$2.39 Ft 777

38.08%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$3.83 Ft 1,245

16.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.26

$11.33 Ft 3,686

50.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.88

$6.74 Ft 2,192

80.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.33

$14.69 Ft 4,780

24.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.84 Ft 597

94.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.01 Ft 653

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.92

$2.36 Ft 767

38.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$3.77 Ft 1,226

1.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$0.96 Ft 313

121.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.03 Ft 334

114.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.56 Ft 509

-4.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.66 Ft 216

53.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.37

$7.96 Ft 2,591

31.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$6.01 Ft 1,954

12.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.30 Ft 421

3.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.08 Ft 676

0.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.50 Ft 489

191.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$27.61 Ft 8,982

157.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$3.30 Ft 1,074

60.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.73

$1.30 Ft 424

134.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.39

$19.78 Ft 6,436

83.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.81 Ft 591

25.97%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

13.34%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

14.50%

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

$379 €339

$170 Ft 55.3K

123.21%

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

$19.31 €17.23

$23.98 Ft 7,802

-19.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.20

$23.42 Ft 7,621

106.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.97

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

-39.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.69

$19.18 Ft 6,239

85.14%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.86

$9.52 Ft 3,098

63.13%

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

$144 €128

$537 Ft 174.6K

-73.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.1K

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

-5.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.5

$101 Ft 33.0K

-6.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.34

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

7.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$113 Ft 36.7K

-8.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$119 Ft 38.6K

19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,328

$805 Ft 262.0K

84.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €980

$629 Ft 204.7K

74.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,378

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

72.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,856

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

78.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,655

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

52.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,853

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

37.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,112

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

114.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

6.43

-40.90%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Budapest

$629 38.7% 42.7% $469

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Budapest

$217 13.4% 51.4% $230

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Budapest

$258 15.8% 26.5% $93

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Budapest

$224 13.8% 22.3% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Budapest

$169 10.4% 2.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Budapest

$43 2.7% 60.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Budapest

$85 5.2% 19.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $805 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 114% higher in Berlin, 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $60.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $258 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

Same time as Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 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 = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Budapest 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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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

Berlin vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $2,432 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 $2,545 in Berlin and $1,621 in Budapest. That's a gap of about 57%.

Public transport costs about 157% 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 $1,621, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Budapest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Budapest – 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 Budapest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.