Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Buzau

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $979 in Buzau, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Buzau $979

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,449 in Buzau, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Buzau $1,449

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,919 in Buzau, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Buzau $1,919

Budapest costs about 65% more than Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Buzau is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$10.42 RON 49.30

33.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$24.71 RON 117

147.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.30 RON 29.79

61.75%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.02 RON 9.58

61.39%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.93 RON 9.12

10.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.50 RON 7.08

18.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.66 RON 7.85

123.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.71 RON 8.10

120.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.76 RON 8.32

-34.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.31 RON 6.21

36.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.45 RON 6.84

71.72%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.10 RON 14.67

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$7.50 RON 35.47

48.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.62 RON 31.33

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$11.10 RON 52.5

32.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.95 RON 4.50

92.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.63 RON 7.72

25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.11 RON 5.25

113.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.23 RON 5.83

217.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.67 RON 3.18

47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.78 RON 3.68

28.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.48 RON 2.28

229.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.66 RON 3.11

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.24 RON 29.54

27.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.43 RON 30.42

-3.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.76 RON 3.58

67.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.43 RON 6.77

41.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.66 RON 3.10

130.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.60 RON 102

29.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.52 RON 2.47

536.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.49 RON 2.32

179.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.19 RON 29.27

220.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.65 RON 7.81

10.30%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$19.4K RON 91.7K

53.70%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$21.1K RON 100.0K

59.96%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$119 RON 563

43.92%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.87 RON 37.24

198.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$7.72 RON 36.53

201.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$32.03 RON 152

110.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$17.85 RON 84.5

5.83%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$6.89 RON 32.60

34.98%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$285 RON 1,348

87.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,766 RON 32.0K

147.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$54.5 RON 258

82.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$57.7 RON 273

-24.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$97.5 RON 461

13.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$84.1 RON 398

41.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$344 RON 1,629

141.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$292 RON 1,379

113.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$606 RON 2,867

163.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$423 RON 2,002

176.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,475 RON 6,976

295.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,194 RON 5,648

225.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$850 RON 4,021

94.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.97

-7.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 53.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Buzau

$196 20% 24.1% $62

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 31.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 38.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 21.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 46.8% $40

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 38.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $344 in Buzau. 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 94% 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 $25.00 in Buzau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $196 – making Buzau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

23:25 11:25 PM

00:25 12:25 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

115,494

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Buzau 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Buzau

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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,469 in Buzau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 30% less in Buzau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $285 in Buzau. 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 Buzau, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Buzau it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Buzau – 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 Buzau. 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.