Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Focsani

For one person, living is cheaper in Focsani: $1,022 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Focsani
Learn more

Focsani Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Focsani

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Focsani

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $1,022 in Focsani, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Focsani $1,022

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $1,645 in Focsani, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Focsani $1,645

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $2,268 in Focsani, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Focsani $2,268

Budapest costs about 58% more than Focsani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Focsani is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$7.15 RON 33.85

94.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$42.05 RON 199

45.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.21 RON 34.11

41.33%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.50 RON 11.84

30.40%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$1.93 RON 9.15

10.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$1.59 RON 7.50

11.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.92 RON 9.07

93.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$2.56 RON 12.11

47.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.65 RON 7.82

-30.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$1.11 RON 5.24

61.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.23 RON 5.83

102.44%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$3.15 RON 14.89

23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$8.72 RON 41.26

27.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$6.86 RON 32.45

-3.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$10.66 RON 50.4

37.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.16 RON 5.48

57.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.55 RON 7.35

32.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.55 RON 7.32

52.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$2.28 RON 10.77

71.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.83 RON 3.92

19.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$0.74 RON 3.50

35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.61 RON 2.87

159.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.71 RON 3.37

-5.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$5.92 RON 28.01

34.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$4.23 RON 20.00

47.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.14 RON 5.39

11.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.48 RON 7.00

37.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.83 RON 3.91

83.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

$15.66 RON 74.1

78.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.65 RON 3.08

409.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.65 RON 3.06

110.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$6.43 RON 30.42

208.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.88 RON 8.89

-3.19%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$24.8K RON 117.1K

20.34%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$24.2K RON 114.5K

39.74%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$170 RON 806

0.49%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$8.23 RON 38.96

185.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$9.13 RON 43.22

155.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$27.99 RON 132

141.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

$36.72 RON 174

-48.56%

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$8.51 RON 40.28

9.28%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$312 RON 1,478

70.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$14.6K RON 69.1K

14.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$89.2 RON 422

11.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$38.34 RON 181

13.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$80.3 RON 380

37.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$90.5 RON 428

31.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$365 RON 1,726

127.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$292 RON 1,381

113.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$909 RON 4,300

75.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$638 RON 3,020

83.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

$1,060 RON 5,014

450.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

$872 RON 4,125

346.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

$690 RON 3,263

139.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

6.75

-4.44%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Focsani: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Focsani

$292 28.6% 53.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Focsani

$202 19.8% 21.6% $56

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Focsani

$138 13.5% 38.3% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Focsani

$188 18.4% 13.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Focsani

$134 13.1% 19.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Focsani

$45 4.4% 47.7% $41

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Focsani

$23 2.2% 48.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $365 in Focsani. 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 139% 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 $42.00 in Focsani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $202 – making Focsani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Focsani

🕒 Local time

00:30 12:30 AM

01:30 1:30 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

97,186

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budapest Focsani 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Focsani

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 Focsani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $1,532 in Focsani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 79% less in Focsani. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $533 per month in Budapest and $312 in Focsani. 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 Focsani, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Focsani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Focsani – 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 Focsani. 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.