Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Elektrenai

For one person, living is cheaper in Elektrenai: $1,333 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Elektrenai
Learn more

Elektrenai Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Elektrenai

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Elektrenai

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,333 in Elektrenai, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Elektrenai $1,333

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $2,046 in Elektrenai, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Elektrenai $2,046

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,760 in Elektrenai, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Elektrenai $2,760

Budapest costs about 21% more than Elektrenai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Elektrenai is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$12.19 €10.84

14.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$50.7 €45.06

20.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$6.66 €5.92

53.00%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$3.14 €2.79

3.82%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$2.68 €2.38

-20.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.91 €1.70

-6.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$5.66 €5.03

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$4.90 €4.36

-23.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.22 €1.08

-5.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.51 €1.34

18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.78 €1.59

39.89%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$2.87 €2.55

35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$9.98 €8.88

11.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$5.85 €5.21

13.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$9.63 €8.57

52.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.68 €1.50

8.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.44 €1.28

42.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.70 €1.52

39.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.96 €2.63

31.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.78 €0.69

26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.95 €0.85

5.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$1.48 €1.31

6.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.84 €0.74

-20.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.70 €5.07

39.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$8.50 €7.56

-26.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.68 €1.49

-24.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.75 €1.55

16.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$1.27 €1.13

19.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$36.92 €32.84

-24.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$3.08 €2.74

7.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.87 €0.77

57.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$13.29 €11.82

49.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.85 €1.64

-1.62%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$27.6K €24.6K

7.79%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$28.2K €25.0K

20.07%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$205 €182

-16.38%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$13.48 €11.99

74.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$11.37 €10.12

104.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$40.25 €35.81

67.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$22.51 €20.03

-16.08%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.74 €7.78

6.41%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$461 €410

15.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$9,064 €8,063

84.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$132 €117

-24.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$65.0 €57.8

-33.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$81.0 €72.1

36.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$179 €160

-33.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$537 €478

54.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$357 €318

74.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$825 €734

93.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$638 €567

83.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$3,018 €2,685

93.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$1,821 €1,620

113.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$1,257 €1,118

31.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

3.97

62.47%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Elektrenai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Elektrenai

$357 26.8% 42.6% $265

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Elektrenai

$222 16.6% 14% $36

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Elektrenai

$212 15.9% 5.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Elektrenai

$229 17.2% 5.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Elektrenai

$206 15.4% 22.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Elektrenai

$58 4.3% 33% $28

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Elektrenai

$49 3.7% 11.7% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $537 in Elektrenai. 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 31% 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 $51.0 in Elektrenai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $222 – making Elektrenai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇹 Elektrenai

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

12,012

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Elektrenai 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Elektrenai

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 Elektrenai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,999 in Elektrenai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 32% less in Elektrenai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $461 in Elektrenai. 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 Elektrenai, where all-in costs run around $1,333, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Elektrenai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Elektrenai – 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 Elektrenai. 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.