Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Deva

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Deva

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $862 in Deva, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Deva $862

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,338 in Deva, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Deva $1,338

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $1,814 in Deva, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Deva $1,814

Budapest costs about 90% more than Deva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Deva is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$6.81 RON 32.20

106.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$21.08 RON 99.7

189.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$7.28 RON 34.46

42.45%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$1.71 RON 8.10

102.34%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$2.09 RON 9.89

-0.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.20 RON 5.68

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$1.29 RON 6.13

186.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$2.09 RON 9.90

81.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.56 RON 7.39

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.27 RON 6.03

45.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$1.10 RON 5.21

118.18%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.18 RON 15.03

25.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$7.80 RON 36.91

46.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$5.29 RON 25.05

29.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$8.12 RON 38.42

78.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$1.37 RON 6.49

37.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.38 RON 6.52

55.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$1.53 RON 7.23

50.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$2.12 RON 10.05

90.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.71 RON 3.37

43.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.96 RON 4.54

3.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$0.85 RON 4.04

85.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.86 RON 4.05

-18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$5.34 RON 25.26

50.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$7.39 RON 34.98

-16.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$1.07 RON 5.06

15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$1.75 RON 8.28

17.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

$0.57 RON 2.67

178.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

$32.18 RON 152

-14.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$0.79 RON 3.74

334.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.66 RON 3.12

101.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$8.58 RON 40.59

138.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$1.62 RON 7.68

19.14%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$28.8K RON 136.1K

1.30%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$24.7K RON 116.8K

40.65%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$133 RON 631

30.82%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$8.71 RON 41.23

171.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$9.54 RON 45.15

147.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

$39.18 RON 185

75.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

$53.0 RON 251

-63.67%

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$6.28 RON 29.70

64.17%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$577 RON 2,731

-7.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$9,789 RON 46.3K

72.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$69.0 RON 326

44.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$44.86 RON 212

-3.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$84.9 RON 402

31.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$74.1 RON 351

60.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$237 RON 1,122

250.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$184 RON 871

241.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$400 RON 1,892

296.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$353 RON 1,672

238.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$4,841 RON 22.9K

18.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$3,476 RON 16.4K

13.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

$1,154 RON 5,458

48.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.65

-3.01%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Deva

$184 21.3% 70.8% $445

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Deva

$193 22.4% 26.3% $69

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Deva

$121 14% 46.7% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Deva

$152 17.6% 31.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Deva

$123 14.2% 27% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Deva

$52 6% 42.2% $38

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Deva

$39 4.5% 12.4% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $237 in Deva. 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 48% 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 $21.00 in Deva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $193 – making Deva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Deva

🕒 Local time

13:33 1:33 PM

14:33 2:33 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

61,123

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Budapest vs Deva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,294 in Deva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 17% less in Deva. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in Budapest and $577 in Deva. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Deva, where all-in costs run around $862, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Deva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Deva – 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 Deva. 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.