Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Cimislia

For one person, living is cheaper in Cimislia: $789 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Cimislia
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Cimislia Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Cimislia

🇲🇩 Moldova

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Cimislia

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $789 in Cimislia, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Cimislia $789

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,125 in Cimislia, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Cimislia $1,125

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,461 in Cimislia, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Cimislia $1,461

Budapest costs about 108% more than Cimislia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Cimislia is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.69 MDL 119

109.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$22.58 MDL 401

169.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$10.66 MDL 189

-2.72%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.63 MDL 29.02

112.27%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.10 MDL 19.62

88.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$0.64 MDL 11.40

176.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.11 MDL 19.67

232.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.18 MDL 38.65

74.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.03 MDL 18.38

12.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$0.40 MDL 7.15

362.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.54 MDL 27.32

55.84%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$2.07 MDL 36.70

92.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$6.86 MDL 122

66.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$3.95 MDL 70.1

73.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$6.24 MDL 111

132.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$0.54 MDL 9.59

248.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$2.25 MDL 39.96

-4.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.43 MDL 25.34

60.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$1.97 MDL 35.06

105.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.58 MDL 10.24

75.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.52 MDL 9.18

90.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.46 MDL 8.19

243.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.58 MDL 10.28

20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$3.31 MDL 58.9

142.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$4.49 MDL 79.8

37.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.15 MDL 20.42

7.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.00 MDL 35.61

3.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.27 MDL 4.78

488.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$2.81 MDL 49.90

22.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.26 MDL 4.63

411.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$5.55 MDL 98.6

268.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.39 MDL 24.68

38.85%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$33.2K MDL 589.1K

-12.15%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$24.4K MDL 432.5K

42.60%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$226 MDL 4,006

-22.59%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$7.71 MDL 137

206.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$11.03 MDL 196

113.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$16.80 MDL 298

309.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$7.50 MDL 133

37.47%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$112 MDL 1,989

377.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$5,295 MDL 94.0K

218.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$45.08 MDL 801

121.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$55.2 MDL 981

102.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$50.8 MDL 903

134.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$225 MDL 3,991

270.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$168 MDL 2,984

274.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$330 MDL 5,854

381.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$280 MDL 4,981

326.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$743 MDL 13.2K

669.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$685 MDL 12.2K

475.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$425 MDL 7,550

302.72%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Cimislia: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Cimislia

$168 21.3% 73.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Cimislia

$150 19% 42.7% $112

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Cimislia

$122 15.5% 46.1% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Cimislia

$244 30.9% 10.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Cimislia

$68 * 8.6% 59.6% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Cimislia

$32 4% 64.5% $58

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Cimislia

$5.2 * 0.7% 88.2% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $225 in Cimislia. 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 303% 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 Cimislia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $150 – making Cimislia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇲🇩 Cimislia

🕒 Local time

19:53 7:53 PM

20:53 8:53 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

16,100

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 →

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Budapest Cimislia 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Budapest
Cimislia

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 Cimislia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 108%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,184 in Cimislia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cimislia, 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 $23.00 in Cimislia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% 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 Cimislia, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Cimislia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cimislia – 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 Cimislia. 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.