Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Coimbra

For one person, living is cheaper in Coimbra: $1,540 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,621
/mo nomad
Coimbra
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,540
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Coimbra

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,540 in Coimbra, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,621
  • Coimbra $1,540

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,306 in Coimbra, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,555
  • Coimbra $2,306

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,073 in Coimbra, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,489
  • Coimbra $3,073

Budapest costs about 5% more than Coimbra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Budapest and Coimbra sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Coimbra by 15%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.99 Ft 4,551
$13.49 €12.04
3.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.3 Ft 19.6K
$47.04 €41.98
28.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.96 Ft 3,241
$9.91 €8.84
0.50%
Cappuccino
$3.38 Ft 1,100
$1.95 €1.74
73.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 Ft 692
$1.97 €1.76
8.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 Ft 608
$1.59 €1.42
17.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.75 Ft 1,221
$2.23 €1.99
68.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.57 Ft 1,162
$3.44 €3.07
3.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.13 Ft 368
$1.03 €0.92
9.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.84 Ft 599
$1.57 €1.40
17.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.39 Ft 777
$1.71 €1.53
39.77%
Eggs
$3.83 Ft 1,245
$3.26 €2.91
17.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 Ft 3,686
$11.90 €10.62
-4.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.74 Ft 2,192
$7.58 €6.77
-11.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.69 Ft 4,780
$14.25 €12.71
3.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 597
$2.30 €2.05
-20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 Ft 653
$1.59 €1.42
26.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.36 Ft 767
$1.99 €1.77
18.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.77 Ft 1,226
$3.04 €2.71
24.01%
Potato (1kg)
$0.96 Ft 313
$1.63 €1.46
-41.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.03 Ft 334
$2.06 €1.84
-50.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 Ft 509
$1.62 €1.44
-3.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 Ft 216
$0.72 €0.65
-8.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 Ft 2,591
$6.31 €5.63
26.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 Ft 1,954
$5.90 €5.26
1.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 421
$1.27 €1.13
2.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 Ft 676
$2.18 €1.94
-4.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 Ft 489
$1.93 €1.73
-22.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.61 Ft 8,982
$33.99 €30.33
-18.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.30 Ft 1,074
$4.44 €3.96
-25.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 Ft 424
$1.40 €1.25
-7.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.78 Ft 6,436
$14.25 €12.72
38.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.81 Ft 591
$2.24 €2.00
-19.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K Ft 9.5M
$33.5K €29.9K
-12.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K Ft 11.1M
$38.2K €34.1K
-10.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 Ft 55.3K
$137 €122
24.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.98 Ft 7,802
$22.05 €19.68
8.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.42 Ft 7,621
$32.09 €28.63
-27.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$66.2 Ft 21.6K
$43.96 €39.23
50.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.18 Ft 6,239
$11.99 €10.70
59.97%
Cinema Ticket
$9.52 Ft 3,098
$8.60 €7.67
10.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$537 Ft 174.6K
$721 €643
-25.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K Ft 5.4M
$10.7K €9,570
54.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 Ft 33.0K
$95.3 €85.0
6.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 Ft 14.0K
$37.26 €33.25
15.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 Ft 36.7K
$94.1 €84.0
19.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.6K
$116 €103
2.69%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$805 Ft 262.0K
$873 €779
-7.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 204.7K
$652 €582
-3.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,549 Ft 504.1K
$1,511 €1,348
2.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 Ft 379.7K
$1,040 €928
12.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,618 Ft 1.8M
$2,737 €2,442
105.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,968 Ft 1.3M
$1,222 €1,091
224.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Coimbra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,626 Ft 529.0K
$1,319 €1,177
23.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.43
3.83
67.89%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Coimbra: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Coimbra
$652 3.6% $22
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$258
Coimbra
$253 1.8% $4.6
Eating Out
Budapest
$224
Coimbra
$193 13.8% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$217
Coimbra
$191 12.2% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$169
Coimbra
$154 8.9% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$85
Coimbra
$61 28.3% $24
Getting Around
Budapest
$43
Coimbra
$53 22.4% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $873 in Coimbra. 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 23% 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 $60.0 in Budapest versus $47.00 in Coimbra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $253 – making Coimbra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇵🇹 Coimbra
🕒 Local time
10:11 10:11 AM
09:11 9:11 AM
1 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
140,838
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Coimbra 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Coimbra

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 Coimbra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coimbra cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,309 in Coimbra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Coimbra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 23% less in Coimbra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $721 in Coimbra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Budapest or in Coimbra?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Coimbra, where all-in costs run around $1,540, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Coimbra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Coimbra more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Coimbra – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Budapest or Coimbra?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Coimbra. 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.

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