Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,222 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
Learn more

Burgas Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,222 in Burgas, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Burgas $1,222

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,858 in Burgas, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Burgas $1,858

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,494 in Burgas, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Burgas $2,494

Budapest costs about 33% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Burgas is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$14.12 BGN 24.71

-0.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$46.72 BGN 81.8

29.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$11.41 BGN 19.97

-12.71%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.31 BGN 5.79

2.11%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$1.00 BGN 1.75

113.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.70 BGN 1.23

167.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$1.95 BGN 3.42

92.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$2.85 BGN 4.99

25.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.64 BGN 2.86

-31.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.03 BGN 1.81

78.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.03 BGN 3.55

17.73%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.40 BGN 5.95

12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$10.30 BGN 18.03

10.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$9.31 BGN 16.29

-27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$11.69 BGN 20.45

25.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.28 BGN 3.98

-19.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.01 BGN 3.51

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.08 BGN 3.63

13.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$2.50 BGN 4.38

50.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-40.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.45 BGN 2.53

-28.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$1.00 BGN 1.74

56.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-27.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$3.52 BGN 6.16

126.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$6.76 BGN 11.82

-11.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.00 BGN 1.76

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.89 BGN 3.30

10.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.87 BGN 1.51

72.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$34.88 BGN 61.0

-20.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$1.69 BGN 2.96

95.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.74 BGN 1.29

75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$12.20 BGN 21.35

62.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.72 BGN 3.00

5.23%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$30.2K BGN 52.9K

-2.99%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$22.9K BGN 40.0K

49.12%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$103 BGN 179

65.70%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$14.51 BGN 25.40

65.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$11.83 BGN 20.70

97.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$38.63 BGN 67.6

71.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$14.44 BGN 25.27

32.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$8.74 BGN 15.30

8.92%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$231 BGN 404

132.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$14.7K BGN 25.8K

12.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$58.9 BGN 103

72.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$28.87 BGN 50.5

48.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$71.0 BGN 124

58.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$74.0 BGN 130

60.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$537 BGN 940

49.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$441 BGN 771

42.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$808 BGN 1,414

91.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$625 BGN 1,093

86.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,571 BGN 4,499

118.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,935 BGN 3,386

105.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,008 BGN 1,765

61.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

3.25

97.85%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Burgas

$441 35.7% 30% $189

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Burgas

$250 20.3% 2.9% $7.5

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Burgas

$209 17% 6.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Burgas

$129 10.5% 40.7% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Burgas

$105 8.5% 38.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Burgas

$56 4.6% 34.2% $29

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Burgas

$44 3.6% 0.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $537 in Burgas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 61% higher in Budapest, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60.0 in Budapest versus $47.00 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $250 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

08:08 8:08 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

189,741

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Burgas 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Burgas

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 Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 33%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,834 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $231 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Burgas, where all-in costs run around $1,222, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Burgas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Burgas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Burgas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.