Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Gulbene: $1,289 a month against $1,641 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Gulbene
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Gulbene Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,641

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Gulbene

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

A single person spends $1,641 per month in Budapest vs $1,289 in Gulbene, rent included.

Budapest $1,641
Gulbene $1,289

A couple spends around $2,562 per month in Budapest vs $1,973 in Gulbene, rent included.

Budapest $2,562
Gulbene $1,973

A family of three spends $3,483 per month in Budapest vs $2,657 in Gulbene, rent included.

Budapest $3,483
Gulbene $2,657

Budapest costs about 27% more than Gulbene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Budapest sits 21% above the global median, while Gulbene is 5% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.04 Ft 4,536

$16.73 €14.88

-16.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.9 Ft 19.7K

$68.5 €60.9

-11.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.37 Ft 3,351

$9.45 €8.41

9.74%

Cappuccino

$3.46 Ft 1,117

$3.82 €3.40

-9.42%

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

$2.07 Ft 669

$1.59 €1.41

30.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 Ft 572

$1.20 €1.07

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.69 Ft 1,191

$5.57 €4.95

-33.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$5.18 €4.61

-26.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Ft 374

$1.19 €1.06

-2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 Ft 598

$1.50 €1.33

23.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 Ft 776

$2.54 €2.26

-5.51%

Eggs

$3.99 Ft 1,289

$3.72 €3.30

7.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 Ft 3,683

$10.70 €9.52

6.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 Ft 2,221

$8.74 €7.77

-21.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 Ft 4,682

$13.98 €12.43

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 607

$2.09 €1.86

-10.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 Ft 693

$1.77 €1.57

20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$2.56 €2.27

-10.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.04 Ft 1,304

$3.25 €2.89

24.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 Ft 329

$0.88 €0.79

15.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$0.95 €0.84

4.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 510

$1.77 €1.57

-10.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 Ft 225

$0.98 €0.87

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 Ft 2,594

$6.53 €5.81

22.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 Ft 1,997

$8.02 €7.14

-22.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 401

$2.01 €1.79

-38.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 Ft 666

$2.02 €1.79

1.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 Ft 513

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.52 Ft 8,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.43 Ft 1,110

$3.41 €3.03

0.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.99 €0.88

34.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.45 Ft 6,607

$17.96 €15.97

13.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 Ft 624

$2.12 €1.89

-8.96%

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

$29.1K Ft 9.4M

$27.3K €24.3K

6.69%

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

$34.7K Ft 11.2M

$29.7K €26.4K

16.85%

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

$175 Ft 56.4K

$368 €328

-52.62%

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

$23.62 Ft 7,631

$19.94 €17.74

18.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.60 Ft 7,625

$19.84 €17.65

18.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 Ft 22.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 Ft 6,224

Cinema Ticket

$10.31 Ft 3,333

$11.06 €9.83

-6.78%

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

$535 Ft 172.9K

$674 €599

-20.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$18.4K €16.4K

-8.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 Ft 32.3K

$70.2 €62.4

42.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.27 Ft 14.0K

$51.0 €45.33

-15.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 Ft 36.1K

$86.2 €76.7

29.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$136 €121

-12.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 Ft 268.8K

$190 €169

337.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 203.3K

$168 €149

274.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,586 Ft 512.4K

$352 €313

350.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 Ft 386.6K

$332 €295

260.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,718 Ft 1.8M

$681 €605

740.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,947 Ft 1.3M

$568 €505

594.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 Ft 553.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

4.77

35.22%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 19, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.4%

Gulbene

$168 13% 73.3% $461

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$262 16%

Gulbene

$271 21% 3.4% $8.8

Eating Out

Budapest

$226 13.8%

Gulbene

$257 20% 13.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$222 13.5%

Gulbene

$408 31.7% 84% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.3%

Gulbene

$155 12% 8.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$89 5.5%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 75.3% $67

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Gulbene

$8.3 * 0.7% 81% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $832 in Budapest versus $190 in Gulbene. 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 $69.0 in Gulbene. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $271 – making Budapest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

23:22 11:22 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

7,500

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Gulbene 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Budapest
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,461 per month in Budapest and $1,934 in Gulbene. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $69.0 in Gulbene. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Budapest – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gulbene, where all-in costs run around $1,289, than in Budapest at $1,641. In Gulbene it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gulbene – 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 Gulbene. 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.