Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Alba Iulia

For one person, living is cheaper in Alba Iulia: $902 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Alba Iulia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Budapest and in Alba Iulia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $902 in Alba Iulia.

Budapest $1,619
Alba Iulia $902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,372 in Alba Iulia.

Budapest $2,524
Alba Iulia $1,372

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,841 in Alba Iulia.

Budapest $3,429
Alba Iulia $1,841

Living in Budapest is roughly 79% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Alba Iulia is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.42 RON 39.84

65.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$30.94 RON 146

97.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$5.67 RON 26.85

79.72%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.16 RON 10.24

50.93%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.76 RON 8.32

21.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.45 RON 6.85

22.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.01 RON 9.50

84.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.13 RON 10.10

77.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.23 RON 5.80

-6.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.09 RON 5.15

64.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.49 RON 7.07

67.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.67 RON 12.65

46.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.53 RON 35.62

47.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.82 RON 27.54

13.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.61 RON 50.2

38.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.96 RON 4.52

90.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.35 RON 6.38

51.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.22 RON 5.77

94.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.34 RON 11.06

66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.71 RON 3.38

39.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.58 RON 2.75

72.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.82 RON 3.89

92.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.64 RON 3.04

4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.31 RON 25.13

49.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.21 RON 19.90

47.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.12 RON 5.29

13.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.22 RON 5.75

66.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.71 RON 3.38

114.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$16.66 RON 78.8

68.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.63 RON 2.98

425.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.68 RON 3.21

101.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$4.55 RON 21.51

335.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.53 RON 7.22

18.95%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

5.95%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.3K RON 115.1K

39.00%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$123 RON 583

38.90%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.40 RON 35.00

217.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.34 RON 44.20

149.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$28.80 RON 136

134.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$31.03 RON 147

-39.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$4.98 RON 23.57

86.75%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$442 RON 2,090

20.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,914 RON 32.7K

142.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$38.88 RON 184

156.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$23.97 RON 113

81.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$73.6 RON 348

50.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$64.0 RON 303

85.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$293 RON 1,386

183.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$289 RON 1,367

115.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$621 RON 2,938

156.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$474 RON 2,243

146.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,602 RON 7,578

264.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,414 RON 6,688

175.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$904 RON 4,278

82.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.97

-7.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Alba Iulia

$289 32% 53.5% $333

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Alba Iulia

$184 20.3% 28.9% $74

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Alba Iulia

$137 15.2% 38.3% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Alba Iulia

$140 15.5% 35.8% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Alba Iulia

$90 10% 46.2% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Alba Iulia

$39 4.3% 55% $47

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 46.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $293 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 83% 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: $61.0 in Budapest vs $31.00 in Alba Iulia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $184 per month, with Alba Iulia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

63,536

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Alba Iulia 380 km

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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

Budapest vs Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 83% higher in Budapest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $830 in Budapest versus $293 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,619 per month in Budapest versus $902 in Alba Iulia – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 68% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $902 in Alba Iulia versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Alba Iulia but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Alba Iulia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Alba Iulia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Alba Iulia 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 Alba Iulia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.