Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Argos

For one person, living is cheaper in Argos: $1,218 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Argos
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Argos Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Argos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Argos

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,218 in Argos, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Argos $1,218

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,812 in Argos, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Argos $1,812

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,407 in Argos, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Argos $2,407

Budapest costs about 33% more than Argos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Argos is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.34 €10.08

22.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$36.38 €32.35

68.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.80 €6.93

30.64%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.54 €2.26

28.35%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.64 €1.46

30.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.62 €0.56

187.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.72 €2.42

36.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.45 €3.06

9.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.30 €1.16

-11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.45 €1.29

23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.64 €1.46

51.83%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.21 €2.85

21.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.39 €10.13

-2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.58 €5.85

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$8.90 €7.92

65.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.43 €1.27

27.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.55 €1.38

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$0.95 €0.85

149.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.80 €1.60

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.98 €0.87

1.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.09 €0.97

-8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.76 €0.67

107.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.54 €0.48

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.68 €4.16

70.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.44 €4.84

14.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.65 €1.47

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.29 €2.93

-38.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.32 €1.18

15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$42.40 €37.71

-33.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.40 €3.92

-24.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.15 €1.02

19.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$14.09 €12.54

40.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.96 €1.75

-7.14%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.9K €24.8K

6.92%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.7K €21.1K

42.56%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$160 €142

6.95%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$21.50 €19.12

9.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$28.03 €24.93

-16.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$56.0 €49.83

20.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$25.53 €22.71

-26.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.86 €7.88

4.97%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$480 €427

11.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,434 €3,944

277.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$67.6 €60.1

47.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.82 €31.86

21.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.6 €67.3

45.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$56.9 €50.6

109.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$488 €434

70.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$387 €344

60.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$754 €671

111.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$623 €554

87.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,985 €2,655

95.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,885 €1,677

106.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$703 €625

134.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.36

47.94%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Argos: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Argos

$387 31.7% 37.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Argos

$210 17.3% 18.5% $48

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Argos

$174 14.3% 21.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Argos

$210 17.2% 3.9% $8.4

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Argos

$106 8.7% 36.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Argos

$74 6.1% 14.4% $12

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Argos

$58 4.8% 30.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $488 in Argos. 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 135% 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 $36.00 in Argos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $210 – making Argos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Argos

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

19:13 7:13 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

22,209

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Argos 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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

Budapest vs Argos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest costs about 33% more than Argos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,827 in Argos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Argos, 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 $1,619 in Budapest and $1,218 in Argos. That's a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 51% less in Argos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Argos, where all-in costs run around $1,218, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Argos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Argos costs $1,218 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 Argos. 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.