Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Heraklion

For one person, living costs are similar in Budapest and in Heraklion: $1,621 and $1,609 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,621

/mo nomad

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Budapest and in Heraklion

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Budapest vs $1,609 in Heraklion, rent included.

Budapest $1,621
Heraklion $1,609

A couple spends around $2,555 per month in Budapest vs $2,492 in Heraklion, rent included.

Budapest $2,555
Heraklion $2,492

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in Budapest vs $3,374 in Heraklion, rent included.

Budapest $3,489
Heraklion $3,374

Budapest costs about 1% more than Heraklion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Budapest and Heraklion sit above the global median – Budapest by 21%, Heraklion by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.99 Ft 4,551

$13.02 €11.62

7.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$56.5 €50.4

6.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 Ft 3,241

$10.03 €8.96

-0.70%

Cappuccino

$3.38 Ft 1,100

$3.80 €3.39

-11.05%

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

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.43 €2.17

-12.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 Ft 608

$0.76 €0.68

146.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 Ft 1,221

$5.62 €5.02

-33.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 Ft 1,162

$5.48 €4.89

-34.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 368

$1.79 €1.60

-36.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 Ft 599

$1.47 €1.32

25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 Ft 777

$2.73 €2.43

-12.45%

Eggs

$3.83 Ft 1,245

$4.38 €3.91

-12.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.33 Ft 3,686

$15.75 €14.06

-28.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 Ft 2,192

$10.42 €9.30

-35.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,780

$15.23 €13.59

-3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 Ft 597

$2.23 €1.99

-17.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 Ft 653

$2.08 €1.86

-3.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.34 €1.20

76.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 Ft 1,226

$1.76 €1.57

114.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 Ft 313

$1.18 €1.05

-18.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 334

$1.22 €1.09

-15.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 509

$0.94 €0.84

65.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 Ft 216

$0.71 €0.63

-7.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,591

$5.12 €4.57

55.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 Ft 1,954

$7.80 €6.96

-22.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 421

$2.27 €2.03

-42.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 Ft 676

$2.88 €2.57

-27.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 Ft 489

$1.47 €1.31

2.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.61 Ft 8,982

$67.0 €59.8

-58.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,074

$4.51 €4.02

-26.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 Ft 424

$1.13 €1.01

15.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 Ft 6,436

$11.08 €9.89

78.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 591

$2.24 €2.00

-19.20%

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

$29.3K Ft 9.5M

$28.0K €25.0K

4.88%

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

$34.1K Ft 11.1M

$24.0K €21.5K

41.87%

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

$170 Ft 55.3K

$195 €174

-12.88%

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

$23.98 Ft 7,802

$30.21 €26.96

-20.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.42 Ft 7,621

$37.66 €33.61

-37.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.2 Ft 21.6K

$49.93 €44.56

32.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.18 Ft 6,239

$39.72 €35.44

-51.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 Ft 3,098

$9.05 €8.07

5.19%

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

$537 Ft 174.6K

$410 €366

30.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K Ft 5.4M

$4,089 €3,649

306.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 33.0K

$89.0 €79.4

13.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.99 Ft 14.0K

$42.78 €38.18

0.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 Ft 36.7K

$82.6 €73.7

36.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.6K

$136 €122

-12.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 Ft 262.0K

$652 €582

23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 Ft 204.7K

$505 €450

24.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 Ft 504.1K

$1,105 €986

40.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 Ft 379.7K

$1,005 €897

16.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,618 Ft 1.8M

$4,070 €3,632

38.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,968 Ft 1.3M

$2,799 €2,498

41.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,626 Ft 529.0K

$1,111 €992

46.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

4.44

44.82%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 5, 2026

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$629 38.7%

Heraklion

$505 31.5% 19.8% $124

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.8%

Heraklion

$295 18.4% 14.5% $37

Eating Out

Budapest

$224 13.8%

Heraklion

$232 14.5% 3.3% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$217 13.4%

Heraklion

$263 16.4% 21% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$169 10.4%

Heraklion

$158 9.8% 6.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$85 5.2%

Heraklion

$68 4.2% 20.2% $17

Getting Around

Budapest

$43 2.7%

Heraklion

$83 5.2% 91.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $805 in Budapest versus $652 in Heraklion. 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 46% 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 $56.0 in Heraklion. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Budapest vs $295 in Heraklion – so Budapest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

140,730

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to HUF in detail →

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Between locations

Budapest Heraklion 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
Heraklion

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 Heraklion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,432 per month in Budapest and $2,414 in Heraklion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 143% less in Heraklion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $537 per month in Budapest and $410 in Heraklion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Heraklion, where all-in costs run around $1,609, than in Budapest at $1,621. In Heraklion it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Heraklion – 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 Heraklion. 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.