Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Covilha

For one person, living is cheaper in Covilha: $1,184 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Budapest
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,641
/mo nomad
Covilha
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,184
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Covilha

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,184 in Covilha, rent included.

  • Budapest $1,641
  • Covilha $1,184

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,846 in Covilha, rent included.

  • Budapest $2,562
  • Covilha $1,846

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,509 in Covilha, rent included.

  • Budapest $3,483
  • Covilha $2,509

Budapest costs about 39% more than Covilha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Covilha is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.04 Ft 4,536
$8.88 €7.90
58.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$60.9 Ft 19.7K
$37.07 €32.98
64.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.37 Ft 3,351
$6.53 €5.81
58.81%
Cappuccino
$3.46 Ft 1,117
$1.29 €1.14
168.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.07 Ft 669
$1.63 €1.45
26.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 Ft 572
$1.09 €0.97
62.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.69 Ft 1,191
$1.95 €1.73
89.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 Ft 1,229
$1.48 €1.32
156.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 Ft 374
$0.97 €0.87
19.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.85 Ft 598
$0.94 €0.84
96.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.40 Ft 776
$1.25 €1.11
92.00%
Eggs
$3.99 Ft 1,289
$2.60 €2.31
53.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.40 Ft 3,683
$7.28 €6.48
56.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.87 Ft 2,221
$6.90 €6.14
-0.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.49 Ft 4,682
$11.04 €9.82
31.25%
Apples (1kg)
$1.88 Ft 607
$1.84 €1.64
2.17%
Banana (1kg)
$2.14 Ft 693
$1.24 €1.10
72.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 Ft 744
$1.41 €1.26
63.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.04 Ft 1,304
$2.37 €2.11
70.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 Ft 329
$1.32 €1.18
-22.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 Ft 320
$1.70 €1.51
-41.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.58 Ft 510
$1.49 €1.32
6.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.70 Ft 225
$0.46 €0.41
52.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.03 Ft 2,594
$5.73 €5.10
40.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.18 Ft 1,997
$3.17 €2.82
94.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 Ft 401
$1.03 €0.91
20.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 Ft 666
$1.40 €1.24
47.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.59 Ft 513
$1.98 €1.76
-19.70%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.52 Ft 8,893
$43.32 €38.54
-36.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.43 Ft 1,110
$4.37 €3.89
-21.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 Ft 431
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.45 Ft 6,607
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.93 Ft 624
$2.05 €1.83
-5.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K Ft 9.4M
$33.8K €30.1K
-13.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K Ft 11.2M
$37.2K €33.1K
-6.72%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$175 Ft 56.4K
$129 €115
35.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.62 Ft 7,631
$19.81 €17.62
19.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.60 Ft 7,625
$38.84 €34.55
-39.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.8 Ft 22.2K
$42.19 €37.53
63.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.26 Ft 6,224
$10.05 €8.94
91.64%
Cinema Ticket
$10.31 Ft 3,333
$8.39 €7.47
22.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$535 Ft 172.9K
$84.6 €75.3
532.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.8K Ft 5.4M
$6,148 €5,469
173.91%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.9 Ft 32.3K
$75.6 €67.2
32.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.27 Ft 14.0K
$21.01 €18.69
105.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 Ft 36.1K
$107 €95.3
4.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 Ft 38.4K
$171 €152
-30.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$832 Ft 268.8K
$495 €440
68.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 203.3K
$392 €349
60.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,586 Ft 512.4K
$972 €864
63.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,197 Ft 386.6K
$780 €694
53.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,718 Ft 1.8M
$1,777 €1,581
221.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,947 Ft 1.3M
$681 €606
479.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Budapest
Covilha
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,712 Ft 553.1K
$1,003 €892
70.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.45
3.45
86.96%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Covilha: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Budapest
$629
Covilha
$392 37.7% $237
Groceries & Markets
Budapest
$262
Covilha
$191 26.9% $70
Eating Out
Budapest
$226
Covilha
$130 42.7% $97
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Budapest
$222
Covilha
$188 15.4% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Budapest
$168
Covilha
$168 0.2% $0.3
Sport & Entertainment
Budapest
$89
Covilha
$59 34.1% $30
Getting Around
Budapest
$44
Covilha
$56 * 26.5% $12

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 $495 in Covilha. 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 71% 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 $37.00 in Covilha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $191 – making Covilha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Budapest
🇵🇹 Covilha
🕒 Local time
16:42 4:42 PM
15:42 3:42 PM
1 h behind Budapest
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,686,222 Capital
46,457
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Budapest Covilha 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Budapest
  • Covilha

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 Covilha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Covilha cheaper than Budapest?
Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 39%, 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 $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,776 in Covilha. 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 Covilha, 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 57% less in Covilha. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $84.6 in Covilha. 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 Covilha?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Covilha, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Covilha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Budapest or Covilha more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Covilha – 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 Covilha?
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 Covilha. 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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