Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Galati

For one person, living is cheaper in Galati: $1,060 a month against $1,621 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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 Galati
Learn more

Galati Living Index

Jump to prices

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Galati

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,060 in Galati, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Galati $1,060

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $1,604 in Galati, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Galati $1,604

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $2,148 in Galati, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Galati $2,148

Budapest costs about 53% more than Galati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$10.30 RON 48.72

35.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$42.07 RON 199

43.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$7.17 RON 33.90

38.91%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$2.53 RON 11.97

33.60%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.13 RON 10.06

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.82 RON 8.62

2.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$2.11 RON 9.99

77.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$3.20 RON 15.15

11.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.24 RON 5.87

-8.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$0.66 RON 3.13

178.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$1.74 RON 8.21

37.36%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$3.49 RON 16.51

9.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$7.76 RON 36.69

46.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$5.88 RON 27.79

14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$8.53 RON 40.33

72.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$1.32 RON 6.25

39.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$1.65 RON 7.80

21.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.57 RON 7.42

50.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.78 RON 8.42

111.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$0.96 RON 4.56

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.02 RON 4.82

0.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.80 RON 3.80

95.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.67 RON 3.16

-1.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$5.79 RON 27.40

37.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$5.29 RON 25.03

13.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$0.95 RON 4.51

36.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$1.19 RON 5.65

74.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$0.75 RON 3.56

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$24.50 RON 116

12.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$0.62 RON 2.92

432.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$0.70 RON 3.32

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$6.94 RON 32.83

185.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$1.76 RON 8.31

2.84%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$28.3K RON 133.8K

3.70%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$25.0K RON 118.2K

36.51%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$151 RON 714

12.65%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$7.58 RON 35.87

216.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$7.84 RON 37.11

198.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$38.52 RON 182

71.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$34.79 RON 165

-44.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$6.14 RON 29.04

55.05%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$587 RON 2,777

-8.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$5,028 RON 23.8K

230.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$97.2 RON 460

4.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$31.64 RON 150

35.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$61.8 RON 292

82.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$84.6 RON 400

40.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$381 RON 1,800

111.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$323 RON 1,526

95.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$783 RON 3,705

97.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$571 RON 2,703

104.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$1,622 RON 7,672

246.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$1,250 RON 5,914

217.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$903 RON 4,270

80.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

7.2

-10.69%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Galati: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Galati

$323 30.8% 48.7% $307

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Galati

$184 17.6% 28.7% $74

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Galati

$167 16% 25.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Galati

$166 15.9% 23.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Galati

$124 11.8% 26.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Galati

$51 4.9% 40.4% $34

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Galati

$32 3% 27.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $381 in Galati. 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 80% 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 $42.00 in Galati. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $184 – making Galati the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇷🇴 Galati

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

07:55 7:55 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

249,432

💱 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 Galati 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Galati

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 Galati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $1,590 in Galati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 13% less in Galati. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $587 in Galati. 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 Galati, where all-in costs run around $1,060, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Galati it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Galati – 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 Galati. 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.