Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $882 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Baia Mare

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $882 in Baia Mare.

Budapest $1,619
Baia Mare $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,385 in Baia Mare.

Budapest $2,524
Baia Mare $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $1,888 in Baia Mare.

Budapest $3,429
Baia Mare $1,888

Living in Budapest is roughly 83% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Baia Mare is 35% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.30 RON 58.2

13.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$31.87 RON 151

92.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.21 RON 38.85

24.12%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.08 RON 9.82

56.73%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.74 RON 8.25

22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.33 RON 6.30

33.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.60 RON 7.58

131.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.14 RON 10.11

76.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.45 RON 6.84

-20.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.45 RON 6.84

23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.48 RON 7.02

68.24%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.93 RON 13.88

33.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.13 RON 29.01

81.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.48 RON 30.66

2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.53 RON 49.80

39.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.13 RON 5.36

61.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.53 RON 7.24

33.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.32 RON 6.26

79.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.62 RON 12.41

48.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.91 RON 4.33

8.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.07 RON 5.08

-6.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.10 RON 5.23

43.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.81 RON 3.85

-17.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.41 RON 30.35

24.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.62 RON 21.88

34.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.09 RON 5.17

16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.68 RON 7.93

20.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.66 RON 3.11

130.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$14.36 RON 67.9

95.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.76 RON 3.59

335.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.75 RON 3.53

82.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.94 RON 28.11

233.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.72 RON 8.12

5.81%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.2K RON 133.3K

5.76%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$25.4K RON 120.1K

33.25%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$103 RON 489

65.45%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$14.96 RON 70.8

57.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$11.75 RON 55.6

98.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$38.39 RON 182

75.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$16.14 RON 76.4

17.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.07 RON 47.66

-7.65%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$527 RON 2,493

1.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,253 RON 24.9K

218.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$36.87 RON 174

170.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$41.97 RON 199

3.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$62.1 RON 294

77.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$75.0 RON 355

58.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$278 RON 1,313

199.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$203 RON 960

206.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$489 RON 2,314

225.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$368 RON 1,743

217.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,044 RON 9,671

185.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,414 RON 6,691

174.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$859 RON 4,063

92.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.48

-13.77%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Baia Mare

$203 23% 67.4% $419

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Baia Mare

$199 22.6% 22.7% $59

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Baia Mare

$173 19.6% 22.6% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Baia Mare

$130 14.8% 40.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Baia Mare

$97 11% 42% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Baia Mare

$59 6.6% 32% $28

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Baia Mare

$21 2.4% 51.4% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $278 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 92% 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 $32.00 in Baia Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $199 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

22:10 10:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

123,738

💱 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 →

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Budapest Baia Mare 340 km

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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 Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 83% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 92% 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 $278 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $527 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $882 in Baia Mare versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baia Mare but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Baia Mare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baia Mare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Budapest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Baia Mare 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 Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.