Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Chios

For one person, living is cheaper in Chios: $1,429 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Budapest outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Chios
Learn more

Chios Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Chios

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,429

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Chios

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,429 in Chios, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Chios $1,429

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,099 in Chios, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Chios $2,099

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,770 in Chios, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Chios $2,770

Budapest costs about 13% more than Chios, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Budapest and Chios sit above the global median – Budapest by 20%, Chios by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$13.92 €12.38

0.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$43.95 €39.09

39.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$13.98 €12.44

-27.11%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.64 €3.24

-10.44%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.36 €2.10

-9.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.91 €0.81

95.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$4.51 €4.01

-17.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.37 €3.89

-13.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.57 €1.40

-26.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.37 €1.22

30.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$2.58 €2.30

-3.49%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.54 €4.04

-14.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$13.11 €11.66

-15.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$9.76 €8.69

-32.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$13.93 €12.39

5.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.23 €1.98

-17.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$2.04 €1.81

0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.34 €1.20

76.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.99 €1.77

95.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.12 €1.00

-11.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.06 €0.94

-5.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.05 €0.93

50.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.85 €0.76

-21.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$6.00 €5.33

32.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.06 €6.28

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.98 €1.76

-35.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$2.67 €2.37

-23.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.31 €1.16

16.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$43.37 €38.57

-35.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$4.07 €3.62

-18.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$1.22 €1.08

12.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$16.42 €14.61

20.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$2.07 €1.84

-12.08%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$31.4K €28.0K

-5.17%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$22.2K €19.8K

52.21%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$199 €177

-14.04%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$20.12 €17.90

16.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$27.27 €24.26

-14.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$51.7 €46.01

30.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$24.23 €21.55

-22.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$9.92 €8.83

-6.25%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$432 €384

23.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,719 €5,977

149.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$77.4 €68.9

28.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$42.43 €37.75

2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$78.9 €70.2

39.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$118 €105

1.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$541 €482

53.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$393 €349

58.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$688 €612

131.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$552 €491

112.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$2,409 €2,143

142.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$2,499 €2,223

55.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.46

44.62%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chios: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Chios

$393 27.5% 36.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Chios

$276 19.3% 7% $18

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Chios

$241 16.9% 8.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Chios

$246 17.2% 13.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Chios

$142 10% 15% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Chios

$72 5% 16.9% $15

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Chios

$59 4.1% 32.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $541 in Chios. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest versus $44.00 in Chios. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $276 in Chios – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Chios

🕒 Local time

22:40 10:40 PM

23:40 11:40 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

53,408

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Chios 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Chios

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 Chios: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 13%, 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 $2,144 in Chios. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 55% less in Chios. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $432 in Chios. 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 Chios, where all-in costs run around $1,429, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Chios it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chios – 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 Chios. 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.