Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chaves

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,064 in Chaves, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Chaves $1,064

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,607 in Chaves, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Chaves $1,607

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,150 in Chaves, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Chaves $2,150

Budapest costs about 54% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$7.99 €7.10

75.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$22.32 €19.86

172.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.78 €6.92

33.29%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.54 €1.37

124.68%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.49 €1.33

38.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.57 €0.51

210.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$2.28 €2.03

61.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.73 €2.43

39.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.02 €0.90

13.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.14 €1.01

62.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.13 €1.01

112.39%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.05 €2.71

30.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$6.23 €5.54

82.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$6.53 €5.81

5.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$10.26 €9.12

41.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.14 €1.01

64.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.15 €1.02

86.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.11 €0.98

107.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.10 €0.97

267.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$2.02 €1.80

-49.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.13 €1.01

-12.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.41 €1.26

12.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.79 €0.70

-11.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$5.97 €5.31

34.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$4.03 €3.58

53.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.15 €1.02

7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.15 €1.02

79.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.87 €0.77

82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$27.67 €24.61

-0.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.97 €3.53

-13.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.68 €0.61

95.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$19.78 €17.60

3.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.95 €1.73

-1.03%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$34.1K €30.4K

-14.62%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$37.6K €33.4K

-7.64%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$134 €119

30.66%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$17.81 €15.84

32.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$31.69 €28.19

-25.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$25.25 €22.46

172.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$5.49 €4.88

250.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.14 €6.35

44.40%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$223 €199

139.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$3,620 €3,220

365.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$71.9 €63.9

38.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$22.56 €20.07

91.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$63.0 €56.1

77.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$90.2 €80.3

31.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$478 €425

74.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$378 €336

66.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$951 €846

66.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$736 €655

62.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$1,870 €1,663

205.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$1,472 €1,310

168.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,015 €903

68.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

115.00%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Chaves

$378 35.5% 39.9% $251

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Chaves

$182 17.2% 30.3% $79

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Chaves

$131 12.3% 42.2% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Chaves

$183 17.2% 17.4% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Chaves

$111 10.5% 33.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Chaves

$40 3.7% 55.8% $50

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Chaves

$39 3.6% 12.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $478 in Chaves. 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 69% 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 $22.00 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $182 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

11:54 11:54 AM

1 h behind Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

37,592

💱 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 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Chaves 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,596 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $223 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chaves – 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 Chaves. 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.