Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Brasov: $1,314 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
Learn more

Brasov Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Brasov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,621 in Budapest versus $1,314 in Brasov.

Budapest $1,621
Brasov $1,314

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,555 in Budapest versus $2,128 in Brasov.

Budapest $2,555
Brasov $2,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,489 in Budapest versus $2,943 in Brasov.

Budapest $3,489
Brasov $2,943

Living in Budapest is roughly 23% more expensive than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Budapest is 21% above, Brasov is 2% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$11.01 RON 52.1

27.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$51.8 RON 245

16.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.53 RON 35.61

32.27%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.70 RON 17.48

-8.65%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.36 RON 11.15

-9.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$2.13 RON 10.10

-12.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$3.19 RON 15.07

17.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.31 RON 15.64

7.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.57 RON 7.43

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.43 RON 6.78

28.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.77 RON 8.39

35.03%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.51 RON 16.58

9.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$8.78 RON 41.51

29.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.87 RON 32.48

-1.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$12.79 RON 60.5

14.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.46 RON 6.91

26.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.51 RON 7.14

33.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.66 RON 7.85

42.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.75 RON 13.01

37.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.77 RON 3.62

24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.92 RON 4.35

11.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.89 RON 4.19

75.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.76 RON 3.58

-13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$6.03 RON 28.52

32.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$7.49 RON 35.42

-19.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.24 RON 5.89

4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.80 RON 8.53

15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.08 RON 5.11

38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$23.54 RON 111

17.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.66 RON 3.13

400.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.62 RON 2.95

109.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$6.47 RON 30.60

205.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.85 RON 8.73

-2.16%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$28.8K RON 136.4K

1.73%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$26.2K RON 123.7K

30.39%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$179 RON 846

-4.97%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$7.87 RON 37.24

204.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$8.98 RON 42.50

160.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$57.5 RON 272

15.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$13.43 RON 63.5

42.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$9.57 RON 45.25

-0.52%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$446 RON 2,111

20.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$6,960 RON 32.9K

138.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$51.2 RON 242

97.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$35.07 RON 166

22.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$75.0 RON 355

50.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$90.9 RON 430

30.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$694 RON 3,284

15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$468 RON 2,216

34.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,297 RON 6,135

19.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,066 RON 5,042

9.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$3,104 RON 14.7K

81.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,401 RON 11.4K

65.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,097 RON 5,187

48.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

7.2

-10.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Brasov

$468 35.8% 25.5% $161

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Brasov

$229 17.4% 11.3% $29

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Brasov

$196 14.9% 12.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Brasov

$196 14.9% 10% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Brasov

$113 8.7% 32.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Brasov

$77 5.9% 10.1% $8.6

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Brasov

$32 2.4% 27.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $805 in Budapest and $694 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Budapest pays 48% 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: $60.0 in Budapest vs $52.0 in Brasov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $229 per month, with Brasov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

11:08 11:08 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

253,200

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Brasov 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Budapest and Brasov differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,621 vs $1,314 including rent). Brasov is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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: $805 in Budapest versus $694 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brasov – a meal for two runs $52.0 versus $60.0 in Budapest. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,621 per month in Budapest versus $1,314 in Brasov – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,314 in Brasov versus $1,621 in Budapest, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Brasov but tight or insufficient in Budapest. The gap between the two cities makes Brasov 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 Brasov 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 Brasov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Budapest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.