Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Bursa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $1,072 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,072

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Bursa

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,072 in Bursa, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Bursa $1,072

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,689 in Bursa, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Bursa $1,689

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,305 in Bursa, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Bursa $2,305

Budapest costs about 51% more than Bursa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Bursa is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$9.88 ₺489

41.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$30.06 ₺1,488

103.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.76 ₺384

31.31%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.76 ₺186

-13.30%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.09 ₺54.1

96.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.39 ₺19.24

356.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.39 ₺118

55.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.05 ₺151

23.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.03 ₺51.2

11.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.82 ₺40.38

118.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.22 ₺110

12.16%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.42 ₺120

61.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$10.51 ₺521

5.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.03 ₺249

31.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$19.75 ₺978

-25.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.71 ₺84.9

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.99 ₺98.4

3.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.11 ₺55.0

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.27 ₺62.7

207.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.57 ₺28.17

73.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.40 ₺19.75

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.77 ₺38.02

105.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.68 ₺33.65

-1.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.12 ₺105

275.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$14.38 ₺712

-56.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$2.09 ₺103

-39.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.19 ₺108

-7.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.08 ₺53.6

40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$34.85 ₺1,726

-19.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$1.03 ₺50.8

221.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.89 ₺44.08

53.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.91 ₺342

186.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.41 ₺69.8

29.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$42.1K ₺2.1M

-29.23%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$41.0K ₺2.0M

-17.63%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$77.7 ₺3,845

120.32%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.00 ₺545

113.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$14.66 ₺726

58.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$61.0 ₺3,019

10.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$23.61 ₺1,169

-19.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.00 ₺297

55.00%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$561 ₺27.8K

-5.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$11.3K ₺557.2K

48.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$44.77 ₺2,216

122.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.37 ₺1,751

22.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$81.2 ₺4,019

35.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$94.6 ₺4,683

25.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$404 ₺20.0K

105.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$323 ₺16.0K

92.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$748 ₺37.0K

113.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$625 ₺30.9K

87.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,194 ₺59.1K

388.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,218 ₺60.3K

219.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,050 ₺52.0K

57.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

42.67

-84.88%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bursa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Bursa

$323 30.1% 48% $299

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Bursa

$242 22.5% 6.3% $16

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Bursa

$171 16% 23.1% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Bursa

$103 9.6% 52.6% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Bursa

$115 10.7% 31.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Bursa

$73 6.8% 15.3% $13

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Bursa

$45 4.2% 0.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $404 in Bursa. 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 57% 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $30.00 in Bursa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $242 – making Bursa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇹🇷 Bursa

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,238,618

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Bursa 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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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 Bursa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,608 in Bursa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 24% less in Bursa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $561 in Bursa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bursa, where all-in costs run around $1,072, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Bursa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bursa – 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 Bursa. 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.