Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Braganca

For one person, living is cheaper in Braganca: $1,024 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Braganca
Learn more

Braganca Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Braganca

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Braganca

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,641 in Budapest versus $1,024 in Braganca.

Budapest $1,641
Braganca $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,562 in Budapest versus $1,542 in Braganca.

Budapest $2,562
Braganca $1,542

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,483 in Budapest versus $2,059 in Braganca.

Budapest $3,483
Braganca $2,059

Living in Budapest is roughly 60% more expensive than in Braganca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Braganca is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$11.37 €10.12

23.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$40.02 €35.60

52.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$9.14 €8.13

13.46%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.50 €1.34

130.67%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.36 €1.21

52.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.09 €0.97

62.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.09 €0.97

238.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.26 €2.01

68.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.10 €0.98

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.81 €1.61

2.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.52 €1.35

57.89%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.33 €2.96

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$9.61 €8.55

18.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.70 €5.96

2.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$12.16 €10.82

19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.27 €2.02

-17.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.35 €1.20

58.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.78 €1.59

29.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.78 €2.47

45.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$1.98 €1.77

-48.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.92 €1.70

-48.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.22 €1.08

29.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.95 €0.85

-26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$5.96 €5.30

34.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$4.43 €3.94

39.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.25 €1.11

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.61 €1.43

27.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$11.14 €9.91

147.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.79 €3.37

-9.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$1.13 €1.01

17.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$16.30 €14.49

25.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$2.10 €1.87

-8.10%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$33.3K €29.6K

-12.47%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$38.5K €34.2K

-9.75%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$109 €96.7

60.59%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$16.93 €15.06

39.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$36.03 €32.05

-34.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$33.37 €29.68

106.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$5.45 €4.85

253.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$5.63 €5.01

83.13%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$333 €297

60.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$9,946 €8,847

69.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$22.45 €19.97

344.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$22.16 €19.71

95.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$66.3 €59.0

68.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$98.1 €87.3

21.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$406 €361

104.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$315 €280

99.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$733 €652

116.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$467 €415

156.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,062 €945

438.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$849 €755

365.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,190 €1,058

43.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.55

81.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Braganca: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Braganca

$315 30.8% 49.9% $314

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Braganca

$232 22.7% 11.3% $30

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Braganca

$156 15.3% 31% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Braganca

$162 15.8% 27.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Braganca

$94 9.2% 44.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Braganca

$45 4.4% 50.1% $45

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Braganca

$21 * 2% 53.2% $23

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $832 in Budapest and $406 in Braganca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 44% 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 $40.00 in Braganca for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $232 per month, with Braganca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Braganca

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

34,589

💱 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 21, 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Braganca 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Braganca

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 Braganca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Braganca differ by about 60% in total monthly costs ($1,641 vs $1,024 including rent). Braganca is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% 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: $832 in Budapest versus $406 in Braganca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braganca runs roughly 147% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $535 in Budapest versus $333 in Braganca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,024 in Braganca versus $1,641 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Braganca but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Braganca the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Braganca 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 Braganca gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.