Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Barcelos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,190 in Barcelos.

Budapest $1,619
Barcelos $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,885 in Barcelos.

Budapest $2,524
Barcelos $1,885

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $2,579 in Barcelos.

Budapest $3,429
Barcelos $2,579

Living in Budapest is roughly 36% more expensive than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Barcelos is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.09 €9.86

25.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$48.16 €42.84

27.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.85 €7.87

15.14%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.84 €1.63

77.17%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.93 €1.72

10.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.32 €1.18

34.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.37 €3.00

10.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.84 €2.52

32.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.11 €0.99

3.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.85 €1.65

-3.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.79 €1.59

39.11%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.30 €2.94

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.93 €10.61

-6.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$8.04 €7.15

-17.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.83 €13.19

-0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.98 €1.76

-7.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.37 €1.22

49.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.86 €1.65

27.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.52 €2.25

54.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.72 €1.53

-42.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.84 €1.63

-45.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.54 €1.37

2.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.97 €0.87

-30.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.56 €5.84

21.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.58 €4.08

35.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.19 €1.05

6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.20 €1.95

-7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$2.29 €2.03

-33.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$22.15 €19.70

26.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.27 €3.80

-22.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.43 €1.27

-4.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.25 €14.46

22.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.15 €1.91

-15.35%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.2K €29.5K

-10.22%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$37.8K €33.7K

-10.64%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$111 €98.8

54.09%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$17.73 €15.77

32.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$44.28 €39.39

-47.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$38.52 €34.27

75.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$6.57 €5.84

187.52%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.12 €8.11

1.97%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$339 €302

57.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,374 €5,670

162.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$72.5 €64.5

37.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$37.75 €33.58

15.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$78.7 €70.0

40.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$105 €93.4

13.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$494 €439

68.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$357 €318

74.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$895 €796

78.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$696 €619

68.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,651 €2,358

119.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,510 €1,343

157.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,072 €954

53.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.7

74.32%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Barcelos

$357 30% 42.6% $265

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Barcelos

$255 21.4% 1.2% $3.2

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Barcelos

$173 14.5% 22.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Barcelos

$173 14.6% 20.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Barcelos

$132 11.1% 21.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Barcelos

$57 4.8% 34.1% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 3.5% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 54% 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 $48.00 in Barcelos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $255 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

21:41 9:41 PM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

116,766

💱 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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Between locations

Budapest Barcelos 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 54% 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 $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Budapest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $61.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Barcelos 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 Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.