Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Argostoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Argostoli: $1,358 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Argostoli
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Argostoli Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Argostoli

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Argostoli

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,358 in Argostoli, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Argostoli $1,358

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,073 in Argostoli, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Argostoli $2,073

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,789 in Argostoli, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Argostoli $2,789

Budapest costs about 19% more than Argostoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Argostoli sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Argostoli by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,517

$11.28 €10.06

23.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$58.1 €51.8

5.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,302

$9.18 €8.18

11.00%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,058

$4.29 €3.82

-24.01%

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

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.34 €2.09

-8.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 578

$0.54 €0.48

229.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,202

$4.53 €4.04

-18.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,221

$4.47 €3.99

-15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 372

$1.55 €1.38

-25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 579

$1.42 €1.27

26.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 806

$2.41 €2.15

3.32%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,265

$5.14 €4.58

-24.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,599

$11.30 €10.07

-1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,146

$9.76 €8.70

-32.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,761

$14.28 €12.73

2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 593

$2.29 €2.04

-20.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 663

$2.21 €1.97

-7.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 768

$1.76 €1.57

34.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,264

$1.97 €1.75

97.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 321

$1.11 €0.99

-10.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.26 €1.12

-20.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 513

$0.89 €0.80

77.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 217

$0.83 €0.74

-19.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,580

$5.25 €4.68

51.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,015

$6.86 €6.12

-9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 412

$1.65 €1.47

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 657

$3.42 €3.05

-40.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 492

$1.40 €1.25

8.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,082

$43.58 €38.86

-35.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,073

$4.42 €3.94

-25.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 444

$1.09 €0.97

25.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,427

$13.82 €12.32

43.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 590

$2.21 €1.97

-17.65%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.7M

$27.7K €24.7K

7.42%

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

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

$23.7K €21.1K

42.90%

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

$171 Ft 55.5K

$161 €143

6.53%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,620

$24.63 €21.96

-4.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,550

$28.27 €25.21

-17.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.9K

$51.2 €45.62

31.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,124

$25.18 €22.45

-24.98%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,013

$9.09 €8.10

2.31%

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

$533 Ft 172.9K

$476 €424

12.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,442 €3,961

277.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.3K

$69.1 €61.6

44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.1K

$35.94 €32.05

21.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.8K

$74.8 €66.7

47.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$109 €97.3

8.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 269.2K

$477 €425

74.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 201.6K

$398 €355

56.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 516.5K

$733 €654

117.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 379.3K

$613 €546

91.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,612 €2,329

123.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,176 €1,940

78.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 535.2K

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 Argostoli: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Argostoli

$398 29.3% 36% $224

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Argostoli

$275 20.3% 6.7% $17

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Argostoli

$212 15.6% 4.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Argostoli

$214 15.7% 2% $4.4

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Argostoli

$130 9.6% 22.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Argostoli

$69 5.1% 19.5% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Argostoli

$59 4.4% 33.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $477 in Argostoli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $58.0 in Argostoli. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $275 in Argostoli – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Argostoli

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

10,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.09 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Argostoli 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Argostoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $2,037 in Argostoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $58.0 in Argostoli. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Argostoli, where all-in costs run around $1,358, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Argostoli it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Argostoli – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Argostoli. 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.