Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Dealu

For one person, living is cheaper in Dealu: $1,045 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Dealu
Learn more

Dealu Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Dealu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Dealu

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,045 in Dealu, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Dealu $1,045

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,738 in Dealu, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Dealu $1,738

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,430 in Dealu, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Dealu $2,430

Budapest costs about 55% more than Dealu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Dealu is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$13.97 RON 66.1

-0.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$85.6 RON 405

-28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$8.64 RON 40.87

17.94%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$1.95 RON 9.21

67.18%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.92 RON 9.09

11.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.89 RON 8.94

-5.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$2.53 RON 11.97

46.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$3.31 RON 15.65

13.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.69 RON 8.00

-31.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.35 RON 6.41

32.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.71 RON 8.10

45.61%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$4.47 RON 21.14

-12.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.44 RON 39.94

31.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.27 RON 24.92

25.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.84 RON 46.55

49.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.14 RON 5.39

60.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.43 RON 6.77

43.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.60 RON 7.56

48.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.62 RON 12.38

48.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.69 RON 3.25

43.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.66 RON 3.10

51.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.76 RON 3.62

107.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.87 RON 4.10

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.32 RON 25.19

49.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$6.20 RON 29.35

0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.51 RON 7.15

-15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.94 RON 9.20

4.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.72 RON 3.41

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$21.36 RON 101

31.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.56 RON 2.67

491.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.66 RON 3.14

107.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$7.13 RON 33.75

178.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.87 RON 8.86

-2.67%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$28.2K RON 133.6K

5.54%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$28.8K RON 136.3K

17.39%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$107 RON 505

60.25%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$10.67 RON 50.5

120.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$4.85 RON 22.96

380.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$37.68 RON 178

79.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$20.63 RON 97.6

-8.43%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$10.51 RON 49.73

-11.51%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$589 RON 2,785

-9.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$6,879 RON 32.5K

143.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$60.9 RON 288

63.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$35.71 RON 169

21.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$128 RON 605

-13.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$105 RON 497

13.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$379 RON 1,795

118.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$281 RON 1,332

120.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$590 RON 2,789

170.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$453 RON 2,143

158.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,878 RON 8,885

210.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,342 RON 6,349

189.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.97

-7.46%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dealu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Dealu

$281 26.9% 54.7% $340

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Dealu

$211 20.2% 18.3% $47

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Dealu

$196 18.7% 12.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Dealu

$122 11.7% 43.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Dealu

$148 14.2% 11.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Dealu

$59 5.6% 31.8% $27

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Dealu

$28 2.7% 36.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $379 in Dealu. 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 $86.0 in Dealu. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $211 in Dealu – so Dealu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Dealu

🕒 Local time

21:45 9:45 PM

22:45 10:45 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

3,800

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Budapest Dealu 490 km

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Budapest
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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 Dealu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,568 in Dealu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 31% less in Dealu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $589 in Dealu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dealu, where all-in costs run around $1,045, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Dealu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dealu – 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 Dealu. 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.