Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Braila: $1,141 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
Learn more

Braila Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Braila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,619 in Budapest versus $1,141 in Braila.

Budapest $1,619
Braila $1,141

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,524 in Budapest versus $1,727 in Braila.

Budapest $2,524
Braila $1,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,429 in Budapest versus $2,312 in Braila.

Budapest $3,429
Braila $2,312

Living in Budapest is roughly 42% more expensive than in Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 20% above, Braila is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$18.87 RON 89.3

-26.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$39.78 RON 188

53.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$9.13 RON 43.21

11.61%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.60 RON 12.29

25.38%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.99 RON 9.41

7.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.74 RON 8.25

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.64 RON 7.76

126.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.05 RON 9.72

83.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.80 RON 8.51

-36.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.40 RON 6.65

27.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.44 RON 6.82

72.92%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.33 RON 15.76

17.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.29 RON 39.22

33.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$7.41 RON 35.08

-10.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.19 RON 43.48

59.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.02 RON 4.82

79.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.40 RON 6.63

46.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.36 RON 6.46

74.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.19 RON 5.63

227.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.83 RON 3.95

19.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.78 RON 3.69

28.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.68 RON 3.22

132.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.83 RON 3.92

-19.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.23 RON 29.49

27.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$5.94 RON 28.13

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.02 RON 4.84

24.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.58 RON 7.45

28.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.61 RON 2.89

149.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$15.81 RON 74.8

77.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.04 RON 4.90

218.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.74 RON 3.49

85.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.75 RON 31.95

193.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.60 RON 7.55

13.75%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$26.4K RON 125.0K

12.76%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$29.4K RON 139.0K

15.12%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$140 RON 660

22.58%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.40 RON 39.74

179.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$13.05 RON 61.7

78.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$32.07 RON 152

110.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$14.71 RON 69.6

28.42%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.41 RON 35.04

25.51%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$358 RON 1,696

48.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,366 RON 39.6K

100.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$100 RON 475

-0.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$59.2 RON 280

-26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$90.6 RON 429

21.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$125 RON 589

-4.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$377 RON 1,785

120.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$303 RON 1,432

105.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$551 RON 2,606

189.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$448 RON 2,118

161.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,917 RON 9,068

204.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,300 RON 6,153

199.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$847 RON 4,005

95.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

8.3

-22.29%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Braila

$303 26.5% 51.3% $319

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Braila

$202 17.7% 21.5% $56

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Braila

$237 20.8% 6.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Braila

$161 14.1% 26.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Braila

$169 14.8% 0.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Braila

$47 4.1% 45.6% $39

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Braila

$23 2% 48.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $830 in Budapest and $377 in Braila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 95% 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 Braila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $202 per month, with Braila cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

180,302

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Between locations

Budapest Braila 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Braila

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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Braila wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Budapest. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Braila the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 95% 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 $377 in Braila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 77% less than in Budapest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $533 in Budapest versus $358 in Braila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,141 in Braila versus $1,619 in Budapest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Braila but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Braila the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Braila delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,141 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Braila hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Budapest and Braila 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 Braila gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.