Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Arad

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Arad

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $873 in Arad, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Arad $873

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,366 in Arad, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Arad $1,366

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,858 in Arad, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Arad $1,858

Budapest costs about 85% more than Arad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Arad is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.16 RON 38.63

70.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$32.35 RON 153

89.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.15 RON 33.83

42.52%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.63 RON 12.45

23.95%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.48 RON 7.00

44.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.59 RON 7.53

11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.14 RON 10.15

73.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.48 RON 11.71

52.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.12 RON 5.32

2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.22 RON 5.76

46.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.72 RON 8.16

44.77%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.57 RON 12.17

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.17 RON 33.94

54.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.87 RON 23.03

35.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.13 RON 47.93

45.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.60 RON 7.59

14.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.70 RON 8.05

20.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.69 RON 8.02

40.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.40 RON 6.60

178.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.76 RON 3.59

30.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.85 RON 4.04

17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.18 RON 5.60

33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.77 RON 3.63

-12.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.95 RON 28.14

33.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.73 RON 27.10

8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.22 RON 5.78

4.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.78 RON 8.40

14.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.87 RON 4.11

74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$29.34 RON 139

-4.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.79 RON 3.71

318.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.07 RON 5.06

28.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$10.40 RON 49.22

90.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.84 RON 8.72

-1.09%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.8K RON 131.8K

6.99%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.9K RON 117.8K

35.75%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$125 RON 590

37.26%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.19 RON 38.74

187.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.28 RON 34.42

219.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$34.12 RON 161

97.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$30.83 RON 146

-38.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$5.27 RON 24.91

76.47%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$159 RON 752

235.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,847 RON 18.2K

335.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$42.29 RON 200

135.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$21.47 RON 102

102.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$70.9 RON 335

55.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$72.6 RON 343

63.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$332 RON 1,571

150.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$222 RON 1,052

179.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$529 RON 2,505

200.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$412 RON 1,951

183.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,420 RON 6,719

310.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,062 RON 5,027

266.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$919 RON 4,349

79.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.35

-12.24%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Arad

$222 25.5% 64.3% $400

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Arad

$188 21.5% 27.2% $70

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Arad

$146 16.8% 34.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Arad

$140 16% 35.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Arad

$93 10.7% 44.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Arad

$45 5.1% 48.2% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Arad

$39 4.5% 12% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $332 in Arad. 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 80% higher in Budapest, 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $32.00 in Arad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $188 – making Arad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Arad

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

01:42 1:42 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

159,074

💱 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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Budapest Arad 230 km

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Budapest
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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 Arad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 85% more than Arad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,310 in Arad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $32.00 in Arad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,619 in Budapest and $873 in Arad. That's a gap of about 85%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $1,619 in Budapest. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Arad. 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.