Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $859 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Alexandria

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 Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $859 in Alexandria.

Budapest $1,619
Alexandria $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,320 in Alexandria.

Budapest $2,524
Alexandria $1,320

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,781 in Alexandria.

Budapest $3,429
Alexandria $1,781

Living in Budapest is roughly 88% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Alexandria is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.30 RON 39.26

67.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$30.10 RON 142

103.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.24 RON 34.24

40.75%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.62 RON 7.68

101.23%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.76 RON 8.34

21.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.49 RON 7.03

19.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.11 RON 9.99

75.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.46 RON 11.66

53.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.39 RON 6.56

-17.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.80 RON 3.78

123.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.10 RON 5.21

126.36%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.16 RON 10.23

80.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.98 RON 23.57

122.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.30 RON 20.35

53.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$7.67 RON 36.31

91.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.88 RON 4.16

107.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.18 RON 5.57

73.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.98 RON 4.61

141.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$0.98 RON 4.62

297.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.70 RON 3.33

41.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.61 RON 2.87

63.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.72 RON 3.40

119.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.86 RON 4.06

-22.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.43 RON 25.69

46.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.15 RON 24.38

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.92 RON 4.34

38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.08 RON 5.10

87.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.60 RON 2.86

153.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$42.28 RON 200

-33.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.44 RON 2.07

652.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.40 RON 1.91

242.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.49 RON 25.97

261.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.72 RON 8.14

5.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$16.1K RON 76.2K

85.04%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.1K RON 109.4K

46.24%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$115 RON 545

48.54%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$5.18 RON 24.53

353.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.60 RON 35.96

206.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$58.6 RON 277

15.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$24.59 RON 116

-23.18%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.36 RON 30.10

46.23%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$308 RON 1,459

73.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,663 RON 31.5K

151.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$51.7 RON 245

92.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$22.37 RON 106

94.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$63.2 RON 299

74.57%

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

$319 RON 1,511

159.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$238 RON 1,127

161.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$577 RON 2,731

176.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$419 RON 1,981

179.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,235 RON 5,842

372.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$778 RON 3,679

400.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$844 RON 3,995

95.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.73

-4.16%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Alexandria

$238 27.7% 61.7% $384

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Alexandria

$148 17.2% 42.6% $110

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Alexandria

$136 15.8% 39% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Alexandria

$128 14.9% 41.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Alexandria

$91 10.5% 46% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Alexandria

$71 8.3% 17.2% $15

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Alexandria

$47 5.5% 6.6% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $319 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 96% 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 $30.00 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $148 per month, with Alexandria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

45,434

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Alexandria 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Alexandria

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

Budapest vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 96% 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 $319 in Alexandria. 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 $859 in Alexandria – a 88% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 51% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Alexandria versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Alexandria but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Alexandria the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Alexandria delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Alexandria hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Alexandria 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 Alexandria gentler on the wallet – expenses run 88% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.