Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Budapest: $1,638 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,638

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,638 in Budapest versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Budapest $1,638
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,553 in Budapest versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Budapest $2,553
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,467 in Budapest versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Budapest $3,467
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Budapest costs roughly 33% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Budapest 20% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.81 Ft 4,552

$17.59 €15.80

-21.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 Ft 20.3K

$67.5 €60.6

-8.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 Ft 3,349

$13.53 €12.15

-24.91%

Cappuccino

$3.22 Ft 1,062

$3.19 €2.87

0.94%

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

$2.06 Ft 680

$2.91 €2.62

-29.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 Ft 605

$1.89 €1.70

-3.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.60 Ft 1,188

$4.01 €3.60

-10.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Ft 1,208

$4.53 €4.07

-19.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 392

$1.31 €1.17

-9.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 Ft 617

$2.02 €1.81

-7.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 780

$1.85 €1.66

28.11%

Eggs

$3.96 Ft 1,305

$4.83 €4.34

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.16 Ft 3,680

$16.74 €15.03

-33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 Ft 2,228

$9.12 €8.19

-25.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 Ft 4,731

$19.64 €17.64

-26.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 596

$2.98 €2.68

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 695

$2.02 €1.81

4.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 770

$2.70 €2.43

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,254

$2.80 €2.52

35.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 327

$2.09 €1.87

-52.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 324

$2.07 €1.86

-52.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 512

$1.46 €1.31

6.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 230

$0.94 €0.84

-25.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,569

$6.87 €6.17

13.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 Ft 1,995

$7.89 €7.08

-23.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 421

$1.41 €1.26

-9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 Ft 672

$2.54 €2.28

-19.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 Ft 511

$3.14 €2.82

-50.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.28 Ft 8,995

$25.45 €22.86

7.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,087

$2.99 €2.69

10.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 Ft 433

$1.49 €1.34

-12.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.26 Ft 6,679

$33.37 €29.98

-39.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 600

$1.80 €1.61

1.11%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.5M

$33.2K €29.8K

-13.47%

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

$33.1K Ft 10.9M

$31.7K €28.5K

4.36%

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

$172 Ft 56.8K

$180 €162

-4.56%

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

$23.95 Ft 7,897

$13.84 €12.43

73.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.31 Ft 7,685

$33.70 €30.27

-30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.6 Ft 22.6K

$51.5 €46.27

33.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 Ft 6,235

$15.96 €14.34

18.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 Ft 3,356

$10.99 €9.88

-7.37%

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

$600 Ft 197.9K

$917 €823

-34.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.5M

$16.5K €14.8K

1.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 Ft 32.6K

$87.0 €78.2

13.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.25 Ft 14.3K

$38.51 €34.59

12.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 37.2K

$106 €95.1

6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 Ft 38.6K

$120 €108

-2.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 Ft 275.6K

$1,699 €1,527

-50.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$640 Ft 210.9K

$1,355 €1,217

-52.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 Ft 526.9K

$2,603 €2,338

-38.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 Ft 397.3K

$2,062 €1,853

-41.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,625 Ft 1.9M

$6,915 €6,211

-18.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,802 Ft 1.3M

$5,128 €4,606

-25.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,671 Ft 551.1K

$2,211 €1,986

-24.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.28

96.65%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$640 39.1%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 112% $715

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 24.6% $63

Eating Out

Budapest

$221 13.5%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 21.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$219 13.4%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 3.9% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.2%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 5.7% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.4%

Barcelona

$74 3% 17.4% $15

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 11.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $836 in Budapest and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 32% 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 in Budapest vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $322 per month, with Budapest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

Same time as Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Barcelona 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 15 min 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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,638 in Budapest and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Budapest is about 33% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Budapest. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $836 in Budapest versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $600 in Budapest versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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

Safety-wise, Budapest and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Budapest wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.