Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,621 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,806 in Athens.

Budapest $1,621
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $2,731 in Athens.

Budapest $2,555
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $3,656 in Athens.

Budapest $3,489
Athens $3,656

Living in Budapest costs roughly 10% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 21% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,555

$16.66 €14.85

-16.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.7K

$66.2 €59.0

-8.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,244

$11.06 €9.86

-9.95%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,102

$4.14 €3.69

-18.36%

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

$2.13 Ft 693

$2.80 €2.50

-23.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 609

$0.57 €0.51

228.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,222

$5.64 €5.03

-33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,163

$5.46 €4.86

-34.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 369

$1.96 €1.74

-42.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 600

$1.41 €1.25

30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.83 €2.53

-15.55%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,246

$5.04 €4.49

-24.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,689

$15.35 €13.68

-26.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,194

$10.34 €9.22

-34.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,784

$18.97 €16.92

-22.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 598

$2.17 €1.93

-15.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 654

$1.91 €1.70

5.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.38 €1.23

71.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,227

$2.20 €1.96

71.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 314

$1.10 €0.98

-12.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 335

$1.13 €1.00

-8.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.10 €0.98

41.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.83 €0.74

-20.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,594

$5.60 €4.99

42.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,956

$10.19 €9.08

-41.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 422

$2.18 €1.95

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.45 €2.18

-15.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 490

$1.38 €1.23

8.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,991

$30.87 €27.52

-10.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,075

$4.37 €3.90

-24.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.04 €0.93

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,442

$17.11 €15.26

15.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.31 €2.06

-21.65%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.6M

$28.0K €24.9K

4.80%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$28.0K €25.0K

21.75%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$210 €187

-18.98%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,809

$26.70 €23.80

-10.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,628

$30.13 €26.86

-22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$54.6 €48.68

21.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,245

$26.03 €23.21

-26.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,101

$10.78 €9.61

-11.69%

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

$537 Ft 174.8K

$575 €513

-6.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$13.1K €11.7K

26.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$93.2 €83.1

8.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$40.68 €36.27

5.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$104 €92.8

8.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.7K

$128 €114

-7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.2K

$756 €674

6.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.9K

$652 €582

-3.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.6K

$1,294 €1,153

19.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 380.1K

$1,163 €1,037

0.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$4,008 €3,574

40.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$3,452 €3,078

14.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.5K

$1,243 €1,109

30.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.48

43.53%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Athens

$652 36.5% 3.7% $23

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Athens

$315 17.6% 22.2% $57

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Athens

$269 15% 19.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Athens

$267 14.9% 22.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Athens

$165 9.2% 2.6% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Athens

$76 4.3% 10.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Athens

$46 2.6% 5.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $60.0 in Budapest vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $315 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Budapest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $805 in Budapest versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Budapest – a meal for two runs $60.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,621 per month in Budapest versus $1,806 in Athens – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Budapest but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Budapest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Budapest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,621 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Budapest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Athens 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 Budapest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.