Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Calafat

For one person, living is cheaper in Calafat: $1,009 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
Learn more

Calafat Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Calafat

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,009 in Calafat, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Calafat $1,009

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,485 in Calafat, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Calafat $1,485

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,961 in Calafat, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Calafat $1,961

Budapest costs about 60% more than Calafat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Calafat is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.28 RON 34.45

91.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$38.41 RON 182

59.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.46 RON 35.29

36.60%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.05 RON 9.69

59.02%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.50 RON 7.08

42.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.80 RON 3.80

122.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.02 RON 4.84

263.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.95 RON 9.21

93.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.19 RON 5.65

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.82 RON 3.89

118.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.34 RON 6.35

85.82%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.37 RON 11.20

64.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$6.91 RON 32.68

60.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.19 RON 29.29

6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$6.14 RON 29.03

139.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$0.98 RON 4.62

86.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.50 RON 7.10

36.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.24 RON 5.89

91.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.50 RON 7.10

160.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.62 RON 2.92

59.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.72 RON 3.39

38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.74 RON 3.51

113.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.77 RON 3.64

-12.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.28 RON 25.00

50.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.37 RON 30.13

-2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$0.80 RON 3.79

58.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.47 RON 6.95

38.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.76 RON 3.57

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.28 RON 101

31.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.54 RON 2.56

512.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.52 RON 2.46

163.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.20 RON 29.34

219.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.43 RON 6.78

27.27%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$25.9K RON 122.7K

14.88%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$26.7K RON 126.1K

26.83%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$217 RON 1,029

-21.32%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$7.32 RON 34.61

221.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$6.42 RON 30.39

262.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.74 RON 179

78.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$19.94 RON 94.4

-5.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.33 RON 34.70

26.88%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$419 RON 1,983

27.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,102 RON 38.3K

106.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$61.9 RON 293

60.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$42.75 RON 202

1.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$82.0 RON 388

34.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$84.7 RON 401

40.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$382 RON 1,808

117.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$286 RON 1,354

117.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$597 RON 2,827

166.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$445 RON 2,106

162.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,861 RON 8,807

213.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,356 RON 6,414

186.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$810 RON 3,833

103.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

7.50%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Calafat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Calafat

$286 28.3% 54% $336

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Calafat

$167 16.5% 35.4% $91

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Calafat

$123 12.2% 44.7% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Calafat

$231 22.9% 6.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Calafat

$122 12.1% 27.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Calafat

$52 5.2% 39.2% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Calafat

$27 2.7% 38% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $382 in Calafat. 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 104% 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 $38.00 in Calafat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $167 – making Calafat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Calafat

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

18,500

💱 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 Calafat 490 km

From you

Budapest
Calafat

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 Calafat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 60%, 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 $1,514 in Calafat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 32% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $419 in Calafat. 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 Calafat, where all-in costs run around $1,009, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Calafat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Calafat – 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 Calafat. 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.