Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Botosani and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Botosani: $895 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Botosani
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Botosani Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index

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Botosani

🇷🇴 Romania

$895

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Botosani versus $1,619 in Budapest.

Botosani $895
Budapest $1,619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,325 in Botosani versus $2,524 in Budapest.

Botosani $1,325
Budapest $2,524

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,755 in Botosani versus $3,429 in Budapest.

Botosani $1,755
Budapest $3,429

Living in Botosani costs roughly 45% less than in Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Botosani is 34% below, Budapest is 20% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 RON 42.99

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-34.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.43 RON 135

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-53.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 RON 35.40

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-26.59%

Cappuccino

$2.23 RON 10.56

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-31.60%

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

$1.40 RON 6.62

$2.14 Ft 690

-34.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 RON 5.54

$1.78 Ft 577

-34.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 RON 8.96

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 RON 10.63

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-40.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.58

$1.15 Ft 371

20.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.10

$1.79 Ft 578

-39.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.85

$2.49 Ft 804

-41.77%

Eggs

$2.80 RON 13.27

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-28.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.86 RON 32.45

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-38.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 RON 27.74

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-11.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.21 RON 43.58

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-37.30%

Apples (1kg)

$0.93 RON 4.40

$1.83 Ft 591

-49.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 RON 5.92

$2.05 Ft 661

-39.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$2.37 Ft 765

-41.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 RON 8.73

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-52.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.34

$0.99 Ft 320

-28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 RON 2.55

$1.00 Ft 322

-46.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.11

$1.58 Ft 511

-44.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 RON 3.31

$0.67 Ft 216

4.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 RON 28.47

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-24.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 RON 30.79

$6.22 Ft 2,009

4.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.87

$1.27 Ft 411

-18.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.65

$2.03 Ft 654

-20.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.39

$1.52 Ft 490

-52.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.18 RON 138

$28.02 Ft 9,053

4.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-77.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 RON 3.34

$1.37 Ft 442

-48.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.51 RON 35.52

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-62.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.28

$1.82 Ft 589

-3.85%

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

$26.2K RON 124.1K

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-11.95%

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

$26.1K RON 123.3K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-22.92%

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

$98.4 RON 465

$171 Ft 55.3K

-42.51%

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

$7.35 RON 34.78

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-68.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.24 RON 39.00

$23.29 Ft 7,526

-64.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 RON 151

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-52.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.82 RON 108

$18.89 Ft 6,104

20.80%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 RON 25.25

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-42.58%

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

$315 RON 1,492

$533 Ft 172.3K

-40.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.55 RON 215

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-54.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.29 RON 139

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-32.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 RON 294

$110 Ft 35.7K

-43.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.4 RON 314

$119 Ft 38.4K

-44.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 RON 1,836

$830 Ft 268.3K

-53.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 RON 1,332

$622 Ft 200.9K

-54.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,538

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-66.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$387 RON 1,831

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-66.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,364 RON 6,453

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

-76.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,012 RON 4,789

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

-73.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 RON 4,562

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

-41.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

6.45

1.86%

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

Last update for Botosani: October 10, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Botosani

$282 31.5%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 121% $340

Groceries & Markets

Botosani

$183 20.4%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 41.2% $75

Eating Out

Botosani

$146 16.3%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 52.6% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Botosani

$114 12.7%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 91.2% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Botosani

$92 10.2%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 83.1% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Botosani

$43 4.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 102% $43

Getting Around

Botosani

$36 4.1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 21.8% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $388 in Botosani and $830 in Budapest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 71% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $28.00 in Botosani vs $61.0 in Budapest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $183 vs $258 per month, with Botosani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Botosani

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

1 h behind Botosani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

106,847

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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Botosani Budapest 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Botosani
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

Botosani vs Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Botosani and Budapest differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $1,619 including rent). Botosani is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $388 in Botosani versus $830 in Budapest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $315 in Botosani versus $533 in Budapest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $895 in Botosani versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Botosani but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Botosani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Botosani 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 Botosani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.