Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chalcis

For one person, living is cheaper in Chalcis: $1,390 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Chalcis
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Chalcis Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Chalcis

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,390

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chalcis

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,390 in Chalcis, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Chalcis $1,390

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,132 in Chalcis, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Chalcis $2,132

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,874 in Chalcis, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Chalcis $2,874

Budapest costs about 16% more than Chalcis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Chalcis sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Chalcis by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$11.22 €9.98

24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$46.16 €41.06

32.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.95 €7.96

13.85%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.64 €3.24

-10.44%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.19 €1.95

-2.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.60 €0.54

196.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$3.30 €2.93

12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.47 €3.98

-15.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.58 €1.41

-27.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.37 €1.22

30.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.22 €1.97

12.16%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.13 €3.67

-5.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$11.24 €10.00

-1.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.87 €8.78

-32.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$14.31 €12.73

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.96 €1.74

-6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.01 €1.79

1.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.68 €1.49

41.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.99 €1.77

95.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.15 €1.02

-13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.26 €1.12

-20.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.90 €0.80

75.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.87 €0.77

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$4.92 €4.37

61.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.52 €5.80

-4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.66 €1.47

-23.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$3.33 €2.96

-39.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.38 €1.22

10.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.44 €3.95

-25.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.11 €0.99

23.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$13.81 €12.29

43.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.17 €1.93

-16.13%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.1K €25.0K

6.17%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$23.4K €20.8K

44.31%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$164 €146

4.44%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$24.28 €21.59

-3.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$28.16 €25.05

-17.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$66.1 €58.8

2.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.14 €8.13

1.75%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$277 €246

92.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$4,437 €3,947

277.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$68.4 €60.9

45.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.14 €31.26

23.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$75.0 €66.7

47.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$105 €93.7

12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$599 €533

38.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$482 €429

29.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$1,059 €942

50.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$891 €793

31.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,474 €2,201

135.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,006 €1,784

93.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,038 €923

59.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.36

47.94%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chalcis: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Chalcis

$482 34.7% 22.5% $140

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Chalcis

$267 19.2% 3.7% $9.5

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Chalcis

$197 14.2% 11.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Chalcis

$216 15.6% 0.7% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Chalcis

$128 9.2% 23.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Chalcis

$84 6.1% 2% $1.7

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Chalcis

$15 * 1.1% 65% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $599 in Chalcis. 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 59% 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 $46.00 in Chalcis. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $267 in Chalcis – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Chalcis

🕒 Local time

02:21 2:21 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

59,125

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Chalcis 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chalcis

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 Chalcis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 16%, 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 $2,085 in Chalcis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $46.00 in Chalcis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chalcis, where all-in costs run around $1,390, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Chalcis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chalcis – 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 Chalcis. 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.