Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Craiova

For one person, living is cheaper in Craiova: $1,187 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
Learn more

Craiova Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Craiova

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,187 in Craiova, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Craiova $1,187

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,763 in Craiova, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Craiova $1,763

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,338 in Craiova, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Craiova $2,338

Budapest costs about 37% more than Craiova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Craiova is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$7.53 RON 35.62

85.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$41.41 RON 196

45.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.20 RON 34.05

38.33%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.62 RON 12.40

29.01%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.21 RON 10.44

-3.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.80 RON 8.51

3.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.36 RON 11.14

58.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.46 RON 16.35

3.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.32 RON 6.26

-14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.87 RON 4.09

111.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.38 RON 6.54

73.19%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.41 RON 16.12

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$7.11 RON 33.61

59.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$6.46 RON 30.57

4.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$11.35 RON 53.7

29.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.04 RON 4.90

76.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.44 RON 6.82

39.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.46 RON 6.90

61.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.83 RON 8.66

106.01%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.77 RON 3.64

24.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$0.84 RON 4.00

22.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.69 RON 3.24

126.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.75 RON 3.56

-12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$6.36 RON 30.08

25.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$6.27 RON 29.66

-4.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$1.20 RON 5.66

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.47 RON 6.96

41.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.82 RON 3.87

82.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$25.32 RON 120

9.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.64 RON 3.04

415.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.61 RON 2.89

113.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$6.40 RON 30.25

209.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.92 RON 9.09

-5.73%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$28.0K RON 132.6K

4.64%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$26.2K RON 124.0K

30.09%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$214 RON 1,011

-20.51%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$9.61 RON 45.43

149.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$11.51 RON 54.5

103.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$44.51 RON 211

48.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$21.43 RON 101

-10.50%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$7.46 RON 35.30

27.61%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$421 RON 1,992

27.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$8,039 RON 38.0K

106.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$63.1 RON 298

60.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$50.9 RON 241

-15.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$82.9 RON 392

36.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$102 RON 481

16.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$503 RON 2,379

60.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$391 RON 1,851

60.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$874 RON 4,132

77.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$602 RON 2,845

94.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$2,655 RON 12.6K

111.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,024 RON 9,575

96.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$941 RON 4,449

72.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

6.84

-5.99%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Craiova: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Craiova

$391 32.7% 37.8% $238

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Craiova

$195 16.3% 24.4% $63

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Craiova

$148 12.4% 34% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Craiova

$235 19.7% 8.1% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Craiova

$134 11.2% 20.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Craiova

$59 5% 30.3% $26

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Craiova

$32 2.7% 25.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $503 in Craiova. 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 73% 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 $41.00 in Craiova. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $195 – making Craiova the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

269,506

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Craiova 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Craiova

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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,780 in Craiova. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 9% less in Craiova. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $421 in Craiova. 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 Craiova, where all-in costs run around $1,187, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Craiova it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Craiova – 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 Craiova. 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.