Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Cahul

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $635 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Cahul

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $635 in Cahul, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Cahul $635

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $927 in Cahul, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Cahul $927

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,219 in Cahul, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Cahul $1,219

Budapest costs about 155% more than Cahul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Cahul is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$8.54 MDL 152

63.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$23.42 MDL 416

161.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$10.36 MDL 184

-1.64%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.67 MDL 29.62

95.21%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.10 MDL 19.60

94.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.58 MDL 10.39

206.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.97 MDL 35.05

88.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.80 MDL 32.05

109.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.21 MDL 21.41

-4.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.46 MDL 8.13

289.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.55 MDL 27.58

60.65%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.15 MDL 38.13

81.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.65 MDL 118

66.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.69 MDL 83.3

41.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.09 MDL 108

141.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.00 MDL 17.74

83.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.26 MDL 40.16

-9.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.89 MDL 33.62

25.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.28 MDL 40.46

71.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.77 MDL 13.69

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.48 MDL 8.51

108.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.46 MDL 8.18

243.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.55 MDL 9.76

21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$3.31 MDL 58.8

140.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.54 MDL 80.7

37.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.41 MDL 25.07

-9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.94 MDL 34.54

4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.27 MDL 4.78

462.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$2.87 MDL 51.0

15.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.26 MDL 4.62

426.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$5.69 MDL 101

248.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.57 MDL 27.84

15.92%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$33.4K MDL 593.4K

-10.82%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.8K MDL 422.6K

42.09%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$225 MDL 3,990

-23.83%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.06 MDL 143

191.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$11.01 MDL 196

111.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.74 MDL 137

20.16%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$111 MDL 1,978

378.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,302 MDL 94.2K

216.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$44.70 MDL 794

122.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$55.5 MDL 985

98.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$51.1 MDL 908

132.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$500 MDL 8,884

230.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

-19.37%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cahul: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Cahul

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Cahul

$162 25.6% 37.1% $96

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Cahul

$140 22% 37.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Cahul

$244 38.4% 11.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Cahul

$68 * 10.7% 59.4% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Cahul

$15 * 2.4% 82% $71

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Cahul

$5.3 * 0.8% 88.1% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 230% 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 $23.00 in Cahul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $162 – making Cahul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇩 Cahul

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

39,500

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, 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).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Cahul 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Cahul

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 Cahul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 155%, 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 $952 in Cahul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $23.00 in Cahul. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cahul, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Cahul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cahul – 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 Cahul. 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.